Spiderman 3: The Legend Continues
by Thedummie2
Summary: WARNING: May contain spoilers from Spiderman 2 movie. Finished! Doc Ock brings one of Peter's friends for revenge, but a group of mutants won't let that happen. And Peter and MJ are finally a couple-right? This is my first fanfic, so please R&R!
1. Spiderman

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this fan-fic. All of them belong to Marvel, and the people who made the Spidey movies, like Columbia Pictures. You get the idea.   
  
Peter Parker a.k.a Spiderman shot a thin web strand from his wrist, held onto it, and let it go. Then he performed an acrobatic flip in mid-air and pressed his middle and index fingers against his wrist. Again, another thin web strand shot through the New York City sky. He was well aware of the two helicopters flying nearby, and he heard the loud wail of the police sirens piercing the sky. However, nothing mattered. The only thing he could think of was that breath taking kiss that he had shared with the love of his life: Mary Jane Watson-the woman of his dreams. Just moments before, she was standing in his doorway in that grand, flowing wedding gown. She was supposed to marry John Jameson, the son of his boss-James Jonah Jameson. Instead, she chose him. She had kissed him with such vigor that he could still recall every little detail: her smooth skin, her lush, red hair, and those beautiful green eyes. He pressed his two fingers against his wrist again, but nothing came out.  
"Oh no...This can't be happening...not again!" he thought as he fell toward the street below.  
Mary Jane Watson stared out of the window that her boyfriend had swung out of seconds ago.  
"Wow...I can't believe that this is really coming true-the one guy that I've always loved is Spiderman," she thought. Suddenly, an expression of worry crossed her face.  
"Be careful, Peter," she whispered.  
"What are you doing here? This is Peter's apartment," declared an angry voice.  
Mary Jane turned around to see where that harsh tone came from. There, standing in the doorway, was a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a pair of jeans and had a tight, white T-shirt on. Mary Jane immediately realized that her eyes were filled with extreme anger and hatred. She was surprised-she had never heard or saw anyone so angry. MJ was also angry-What right does she have to talk to me like this?  
"I'm Mary Jane Watson-Peter's girlfriend," MJ defiantly replied.  
"Oh.." she whispered. The girl felt like crying, but she took a deep breath and looked at Mary Jane. She tried to smile, but failed. After a long awkward pause, she said, "I'm Gwen Stacy. Peter owes my dad rent; it's been days, but I was able to convince my father to let Peter stay at our apartment for a while until he can pay back the rent-I mean, he's such a nice guy."  
"Oh...I see," MJ said. She was getting a little suspicious-she knew Peter would never cheat on her, but the fact that Peter never mentioned Gwen bothered her. Why didn't Peter say anything about Gwen to her? After all, she knew that Peter loved her for a long time.  
Gwen caught the glimpse of suspicion in MJ's eyes, and quickly said, "But nothing happened. I mean, we never talked much, but the last time that we were together, he seemed like he was thinking about something else. I wanted to ask him what or who he was thinking about, but he seemed so content and happy after he ate the chocolate cake and drank the milk and everything, so I didn't bother. I realized that he was going through a lot of stress that month-so I didn't want to-you know-I mean, he's just so cute when he's happy, and I didn't want to ruin the moment."  
Gwen suddenly realized what she had just said and quickly looked up at MJ. She could see the anger building up in MJ's eyes and hurriedly said, "I mean-it's not like we did anything. I just asked him if he wanted some cake and milk, and he just said, 'That would be nice.' I just wanted to help him out, and I just felt that some food would make him feel better. I mean, I know he loves chocolate, so I-"  
"Yeah-I get the point," MJ said curtly.  
"Wait until Peter gets here," MJ thought. Suddenly, she realized that if Peter swung in- which could be any moment-Gwen would find out Peter's secret.  
"Listen, Gwen," said MJ.  
"Yeah?"  
"Umm...well, it's nice meeting you, and I'm sure Peter would be glad to see you, but he's not going to be here for a while. I think you should leave, and talk to him tomorrow."  
"Oh...that's OK. I'll wait...I have nothing to do."  
"Are you sure? Don't you have any school work-like a term paper or a major project coming up?"  
"No."  
"Don't you want to hang out with your friends? What about your boy-"  
Gwen's eyes hardened. She quietly said, "I don't have a boyfriend."  
MJ saw the cold glare that Gwen was giving her and became extremely uncomfortable, but she knew that she had to get Gwen out of there before Peter's secret was revealed.  
"AAAAAHHHH!" Peter screamed as he tried to shoot a thin web strand. Nothing happened. He saw a nearby flagpole and grabbed it. He twirled backwards, flipped, and crouched onto the large pole.  
"That was close," he thought. He stared at his hands.  
"What is wrong with me?" he whispered. He thought that his powers had disappeared because of his previous, rotten emotional state. He again pressed his fingers against his wrist, and finally, a thin web strand shot through the air. He was about to swing from the flagpole when a familiar tingling sensation occurred at the back of his skull. He quickly held onto the web strand and swung from the flagpole just as the room that it was hanging from exploded. He landed on the side of a nearby skyscraper and heard that notorious cackle.  
"It can't be him-it just can't. I killed him two years ago," he thought as a figure he knew all too well rose into the sky. 


	2. A Son's Broken Heart

John Jameson continued to stare at the note in his hand. He read it for the third time that day: John,  
I don't know how to begin. I hate to say this, but I never truly loved you, John. You are a great man with a wonderful soul, but as I stared at my reflection in the mirror today, I realized that there was someone else who I wanted to be with, someone else who I wanted to share that kiss with, someone else who I wanted to spend my life with-I realized that that person is the ONLY one I want to spend my life with. I love him, and I can't stop thinking about him. I'm really sorry, but I can't do this. I hope-and I am sure-that you will find someone else out there who is willing to spend her life with you. Good-bye, John.  
  
Love, MJ  
  
"Son, don't worry," said James Jonah Jameson gruffly, "I'm pretty sure she'll come running back here like a little ol' baby."  
"No, dad," John replied, "I think she means it. She would never do this if she really loved me. She's not the type to ditch those she loves."  
John held back tears; he thought that he had finally found his soul mate-it just wasn't meant to be. He crumpled the note in his hand and looked at his father.  
"I think I'm going to go to Florida tomorrow," he said.  
"So soon?" said Jonah, "Why, you got here only a week ago! Stay for a little while, son. I know you have a mission soon, but-"  
"No, dad," interrupted John, "I have to go tomorrow." He couldn't help thinking to himself that there was nothing left for him here anymore.  
Jonah saw the sadness in his son's eyes. He felt extremely sorry for him and extremely angry at Mary Jane. How could she do this to his son? How? His son was a decent man.  
Then again he thought my own wife did abandon another man for me.  
He sighed, and he realized that he couldn't blame Mary Jane; MJ wanted to be with the person she loved, and he knew that everyone had a right to pursue their true love interest. Things just happened. He was just so irritated at the fact that she stood his son up at the altar. Not only that, but she even failed to mention the guy's name. If he knew who MJ had run to, he would have given that man hell. 'That's life,' he silently thought to himself, 'One moment, you're so happy that you feel like you're floating in heaven; then, suddenly, your heart shatters into a million pieces.' He realized that his son needed some time to sort things out, so after about several long minutes of silence, he finally said, "All right, son-you can go. I'll book a flight for you tomorrow, but if you ever need anything, I'm here for you-OK, son?"  
John had a small smile on his lips and said, "Thanks, dad. I really appreciate it."  
Both father and son embraced each other for several seconds. Then, Jonah finally let go, straightened his suit, and quickly walked towards the computer. Several minutes later, he started looking for a flight to Florida while John walked towards the window and just simply stared out into space. 


	3. The Return of the Green Goblin

"Why hello, Spiderman! What brings you here?" asked the Green Goblin evilly.  
"I'd like to ask the same thing, myself!" said Spidey as he swung towards the goblin and kicked him off of his glider. The goblin stumbled and fell. Fortunately, he fell into a pile of garbage cans.  
"Hmm..." Peter thought as he landed on the roof of a nearby apartment, "The REAL Goblin would have NEVER fallen for that trick. Norman probably would have hung onto the glider and punched me square in the face."  
He quickly climbed down the side of the building and reached the place where the Green Goblin had fallen, but the goblin wasn't there. Suddenly, his "spider sense" blared in his brain.  
"Peek-a-boo! I see you!" cackled the Goblin as he threw a pumpkin bomb towards Peter. Spiderman missed the bomb by several centimeters, but the explosion was still able to singe his costume.  
"Hey Gobby! Is that the best you can do?" mocked Spiderman.  
"No...in fact, I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!" he said as he threw a dozen razor bats at Peter. Peter dodged most of them, but four still managed to cut into his skin deeply. Underneath the mask, Peter was panting and sweating profusely. He was extremely tired too-after all, during the night before, he did battle Doctor Octopus, rescued MJ, finally finished his science paper, fixed his costume, and took a quick shower. By the time he got to bed, it was 5 AM in the morning, and he didn't sleep well because he was constantly thinking about MJ.  
When the fifth razor bat cut into his left shoulder, Peter gasped and fell on his right knee. The Goblin cackled and flew the glider closer towards Peter.  
"Have you had enough yet Spiderman-or should I say-Peter?" asked the Green Goblin.  
Spiderman quickly stood up, grabbed the Gobby's glider, and said, "Actually, I was just getting warmed up."  
He twirled the glider for a few seconds, causing the Goblin to lose his balance and fall onto the ground. Then he hurled it at the garbage dump behind him. Peter grabbed the Goblin's shirt, pulled him close to his face, and asked angrily, "Who are you? You can't be Norman Osborn-he died two years ago."  
Underneath the mask, Harry suddenly realized what he was doing and started to panic.  
"Peter!" Harry exclaimed, "You've got to help me. I don't know what's happening to me!"  
"Harry?" whispered Peter, in a state of shock, "Who did this to you?"  
"I did!" screamed the mad Goblin as he grabbed Peter and hurled him at a nearby apartment building. Bricks fell onto Spiderman as the glider flew towards Harry, who hopped onto it. Peter slowly rose out of the heap of rubble and sat up as he rubbed his head. He winced as he grabbed his left side with his right arm. Meanwhile, the Green Goblin flew high into the air and turned around.  
"Before I leave, though, I think I'll throw a little surprise party!" shrieked the Green Goblin as he threw two pumpkin bombs at the two helicopters in the sky. Peter watched in horror as the pumpkin bombs sailed towards the helicopters while the Goblin flew away on his glider, cackling gleefully. Despite the pain, Peter quickly stood up, shot another web strand, and swung towards the closest helicopter. He quickly grabbed the pilot and the blond female. He quickly dropped them onto the roof of the closest apartment. He flipped in mid-air, shot another web strand, and swung into the second helicopter. He grabbed the pilot, the cameraman, and a brunette. After he swung away, both helicopters exploded-the debris was falling towards the citizens below. He dropped the three people next to the other two from the first helicopter. Then he performed two flips in mid-air as he tried to beat the falling debris to the sidewalk. He tried to shoot another web strand, but nothing happened.  
"No, not now!" he whispered. Below, he could hear the police screaming at the citizens to get out of the way.  
"Come on-just this once!" Peter said angrily as he tried to shoot another web strand-it worked. Peter landed on the roof of another building. He realized that he couldn't reach the debris in time, so he shot two web strands toward it.  
"MATT!" screamed the mother as her 11 year old son-who was so scared that he couldn't move a muscle-stood there, staring at the falling debris. He winced as he knew what was to be his final moment.  
After what seemed like forever, he slowly opened his eyes-where he met an amazing site: the debris had stopped falling-in fact, it seemed like it was suspended in mid-air by thin, white strands.  
"Oh, Matt!" exclaimed his mother as she ran toward him and covered him with kisses. Then another woman said, "Look! There goes Spiderman!" And sure enough, a blur of red and blue flashed before everyone's eyes.  
"Thanks, Spider-man!" shouted Matt as everyone around him stared in wonder and awe. 


	4. The Return of Dr Octopus

"So...you're his girlfriend, huh?" asked Gwen casually-she was trying to hide the pain and the hurt that she was suffering right now.  
"What?" asked MJ as she snapped out of her reverie. She was so worried about Peter and at the same time, she was trying to think of a way to get rid of Gwen that she wasn't paying attention, "Can you repeat that?"  
"I asked, 'so...you're his girlfriend, huh?' "  
"Yeah," replied MJ dreamily; she just couldn't believe that she was finally Peter's girlfriend.  
"You're really lucky, you know. Peter's a sweet, cute guy," said Gwen.  
"Yeah," replied Mary Jane with a wide smile, "I know."  
Gwen slowly nodded and stared up at the ceiling. After several seconds, she stared at her watch.  
"Well," said Gwen, "I guess he is really busy. I'll just go."  
"Yeah, OK," replied a relieved MJ, "It was nice meeting you, Gwen."  
"Yeah...well, tell Peter I dropped by to say hi. OK...bye," said Gwen as she walked toward the green, wooden door.  
Suddenly, just as Gwen reached for the doorknob, Spiderman swung in through the window. Gwen twirled around and just stared.  
"Um..." said Peter, "Well...I'm lucky, aren't I? Two beautiful ladies waiting for me."  
The two girls just continued to stare at him. Gwen's mouth was wide open, and her eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. MJ stared at Peter with worry and concern; she realized the deep cuts on his arms and legs.  
"Come on, Parker, THINK!!!!" he thought.  
Suddenly, he felt his spider-sense go off. He quickly jumped towards MJ and grabbed her and Gwen at the same time. Suddenly, there was a loud noise as Peter quickly shielded the two girls from the explosion with his body. He felt the fire singe the areas of his skin that were exposed. Due to his bruised rib cage, he stumbled and slowly rose to his feet. He turned around, and he couldn't believe it. "What is this?" he thought, "The return of the dead? I killed him yesterday!" There, standing in the doorway, was Doc Ock!  
He snarled evilly as his tentacles reached for Spiderman. Peter tried to dodge Doc Ock's grip, but because of his sore rib cage, Otto easily captured him.  
"GO!!!" he screamed at MJ and Gwen, but neither of them moved.  
"Ah! You have company!" said Doc Ock with a smile.  
"Don't touch them! This is between you and me!" Peter muttered angrily. Otto just smiled and squeezed Peter tighter with all four tentacles. Peter could hardly breathe due to the immense pressure from the metal limbs.  
"Why shouldn't I? It makes things much more interesting and much more exciting!" replied Doc Ock.  
While Spiderman and Doctor Octopus were talking, both Gwen and MJ grabbed two chairs.  
"NOW!" screamed MJ as both girls flung their chairs at Doc Ock's face. Dr. Octopus-who was caught by surprise by the girls' attack-let go of Spiderman, who quickly, but clumsily ran towards MJ and Gwen and swung out of the window.  
"I'LL GET YOU, SPIDERMAN!!!!!" screamed Otto Octavius as the dexterous metal limbs crawled out of the window and climbed down the building.  
"Yeah, I'll be glad to see you again too!" screamed Spidey as he landed on top of an apartment building. He dropped MJ and Gwen off and asked, "Are you OK?"  
Both nodded their heads.  
"Have a fine day, ladies!" said Spiderman as he swung away from them. Both girls raced to the edge of the roof and watched him soar through the air and into the sky.  
  
Author's Note: Thanks everyone for all of the really great reviews. I'm glad you guys liked the story. By the way, I do know that the blonde girl in the movie is NOT Gwen Stacy, but I personally like Gwen Stacy, and I just thought it'd be cool to add her. Yes, I know that the girl is Ursula, but Gwen Stacy was one of Peter's love interests in the comics, and I'm trying to mix stuff from the comics and the movie. I know someone was annoyed that Doc Ock didn't appear in the first chapter...well, here he is! I think he's one of Spidey's greatest villains. It's just a shame that they killed him off in the second movie. ( Oh well...ok...enjoy! 


	5. The Team Up

Harry quickly flew into an abandoned building. He took off his mask and threw it onto the floor in frustration.  
"Father! I can't do this!" screamed Harry. In a cracked mirror, an image of Norman Osborn, Harry's deceased father, appeared.  
"What do you mean? HE KILLED ME! ARE YOU GOING TO LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THAT?!?!?" screamed the image.  
"But Peter's my friend. He would never do this intentionally. Besides, you were the Green Goblin. How could you do what you did to-"  
"I'm your FATHER, Harry! Have you forgotten that? And of course he did this intentionally! He stole your girlfriend when you needed her most, he killed me, and not only that, he's such a coward that he didn't admit to you that he, himself, was the murderer!" screamed a shrill image of Norman.  
"But he's my friend," Harry answered weakly.  
"HAH!" laughed Norman, "I knew it. You were always weak, Harry. You could never stand up for yourself. In this world, only money, power, and control will earn respect. If you can't get it, you'll always fail-and that's what you've always been, Harry-a failure."  
"NO! NO! I WON'T DO IT! GET AWAY!" screamed Harry as he took the mirror and threw it to the ground; it didn't shatter, though. It was almost as if his own father refused to leave him.  
"Do it, Harry! For my sake!" whispered Norman as his image disappeared from the mirror. Harry suddenly started to cackle. His eyes were wide and full of insanity; suddenly, Harry stopped and gripped the sides of his head.  
"Get away! Get away!" he moaned as he tried to drown out the voice inside his head. He stumbled and leaned against the wall for support. He didn't realize that tears were streaming down his face.  
"Peter wouldn't...would he?" whispered Harry to himself.  
A familiar voice in his head said, "Of course, he would! Kill him, Harry!"  
Suddenly, Harry heard a loud metal clank.  
"Mr. Osborn, what a surprise," said another familiar voice.  
"Otto?" whispered Harry as he turned around to come face to face with Dr. Octopus.  
"What are you doing here?" asked an annoyed Octavius.  
"This is where I come to think," replied Harry as he stared at Octavius with nervous, shifty eyes. Otto laughed. One of his tentacles grabbed Harry's left ankle and hung him upside down. He brought Harry's face close to his.  
"I could kill you right now, Osborn. For all you've done to me. All you wanted was money and fame and power! Look at the monster I've become!"  
"You did this to yourself, Otto! I told you to stop, you stupid idiot! For one of the greatest minds in the world, you sure don't know when to quit," said Harry angrily. He didn't care if Otto killed him; in fact, it would be better-it would end his life of misery.  
Just as he predicted, Otto flung him into one of the walls. He walked toward Harry, who quietly grabbed a pumpkin bomb from his shoulder bag. Otto was about to grab Harry, but Harry flung the bomb at his face. Otto stumbled and was temporarily blinded by the bright light of the explosion. Otto regained his composure just as he saw Harry flying on his glider. In front of the machine, there were two, long, sharp knives ready to slice Otto in half. Fortunately, Otto ducked.  
"So, you were the Green Goblin?" asked Otto as he tried to grab the glider, but to no avail.  
"No, I'm not!" screamed Harry angrily; he wouldn't-he won't-follow in his father's footsteps.  
"Then what's with the stupid toy bombs and that ridiculous machine of yours, Osborn?" asked Otto with a sneer.  
Harry was so angry-who dared to insult him and his father's inventions?!? He was about to fly towards Otto, but one of Otto's tentacles grabbed Harry's right ankle and hung him upside down. Harry closed his eyes as he waited for another blow. Instead, to his surprise, Otto placed him down gently.  
"Listen, Harry. I was thinking-we're both on the same boat. Think about it, Harry: You own a wealthy company, and like you said before, I have one of the greatest minds on this Earth. Do you realize what we could accomplish if we work together?"  
Harry was about to snap at him, but stopped. He heard a voice in his head that said, "You can finally kill Spiderman. You can finally kill Parker!" He tried to drown it out, but it was so tempting.  
Harry slowly said, "We can finally get rid of our nemesis."  
"Yes, Harry-we can finally kill Spiderman," said Otto, "So what do you say, Harry?" One of Dr. Octopus's tentacles reached for Harry's hand. Harry stared at it for a long time. He was about to kill his best friend- the only family member he had left. The voice in his head again repeated those two words: "Kill him!" He couldn't get rid of it anymore; he didn't fight anymore-it was too painful.  
Instead of fighting against the voice, Harry looked up at Otto's face and said, "It's a deal," as he took the heavy metal "hand" and shook it. 


	6. Hmmm

"That was a close one," Peter said as he stood behind a large garbage dump in a dark alley. He had quickly stuffed his Spiderman costume into his small blue bag and donned his white and blue striped sweatshirt with a pair of blue jeans.  
"I'm lucky that I brought a sweatshirt instead of a T-shirt," he thought as he emerged from the alley. He slowly began to walk and slightly flinched at the pain at his sides. He walked into what was now his demolished apartment building. He sighed. Now, where was he going to live? He couldn't live with Aunt May; she had her own problems. Suddenly, he saw MJ running towards him. Before Peter could even say anything, she flung her arms around him.  
"Oh, Peter! I was so worried! Are you OK?" she said as she embraced him tightly.  
"Yeah," Peter said as he quickly let go of the embrace. He grabbed his side and coughed some blood. MJ stared at him with deep concern.  
"Tiger, you're one of the worst liars on the face of this earth," said MJ with a smile, "Let's go to the nearest hospital."  
"No, honestly, MJ-I'm fine. Just a few cuts and some bruises."  
"You don't look "fine" to me," replied MJ. She grabbed Peter's hand and hailed a taxi. They climbed into the back. The cab drove away as Gwen Stacy emerged from her hiding place.  
"How did Peter get all those maladies?" wondered Gwen, "Something's just not right."  
"GWEN!" screamed her dad as he hugged her, "Thank god you're alive! I heard you were attacked!"  
"Yeah, but fortunately, Spiderman came at the nick of time," replied Gwen.  
"Spiderman?" asked her dad with deep concern. He quickly let go of her and stared at her, "Are you OK? I mean, after all, don't you read that stuff in the Daily Bugle? It seems as if-"  
"Dad!" said an annoyed Gwen, "How many times have I told you? Spiderman is a hero; he's not a menace! He saved my life today! How can you question him?"  
"All right, honey. It doesn't matter-I'm just so glad you're OK!" he said as he hugged her again. As they embraced, Gwen continued to stare at the place where the taxi had left. It was odd how Spiderman came in seconds before the explosion, and of all places, it was Peter's apartment that Spiderman swung into. Then, she heard Peter talking to Mary Jane about some cuts and bruises, and actually saw him cough up some blood. It was just so weird. Odd, thought Gwen as she stared at the place where the taxi had just left. 


	7. Even Heroes Need their Rest

Peter was sleeping on a cool, white bed as MJ stared at him. She sighed; she was going to ask Peter about Gwen, but decided that it wasn't the right time to ask him; besides, Peter's well being was much more important to her. The doctors had told her that Peter would be fine, but he still needed a few days of recuperation-the cuts were pretty deep, and his rib cage wasn't bruised-it was broken.  
Peter opened his eyes slowly. He turned his head slightly and saw MJ. He smiled.  
"How are you feeling?" asked MJ.  
"Better," he replied, "I told you MJ-I'm really OK. Let's get out of here now."  
"I don't think so," she said, "You're worn out. These few days could do you some good. Besides, you have some pretty bad cuts and a broken rib cage. You really need the rest. The doctors also said that because you're so worn out, it'll take your body a longer time to recover."  
Peter smiled. He realized that MJ didn't know about his advanced healing factor.  
"MJ," replied Peter, "I heal faster than most people-even if my body is worn out. It's another one of my powers."  
"That doesn't make a difference. Everyone-even heroes-need their rest. Especially you, Tiger," replied MJ.  
Peter tried to sit up, but winced.  
MJ noticed this and gently pushed him down.  
"That must have been some hell of a fight," replied MJ.  
"No, it's just the same old, same old," said Peter. He couldn't help but wonder what the hell was happening to him. Normally, he'd be OK by now. He did get some cuts and bruises-but usually, they weren't so painful. Now, not only was his rib cage killing him, but the usual cuts and burns that he received in every battle that he normally shrugged off were causing him to cringe every few seconds.  
Mary Jane noticed the expression of worry on Peter's face and asked, "What's wrong?"  
"MJ...I think I'm losing my powers," said Peter, "Before, I was fighting the Green Goblin. (MJ shuddered slightly at the name.) I tried shooting my web strands twice, but nothing happened. Now, every small injury hurts like hell when they normally wouldn't."  
MJ was extremely worried when she heard this-what would happen to the hundreds of people in NYC who were counting on him? This would be better for their relationship, but people needed Spiderman now more than ever. Then she suddenly realized what Peter had just said, "The Green Goblin is back?"  
"Yeah," replied Peter with a grim face. He couldn't help but wonder about Harry.  
"You need help, Peter-Professional help," she said.  
"Who, though? I mean, who could I turn to without revealing my secret?"  
"You know, Peter-you could ask Dr. Connors while you're in your Spidey suit. I'm pretty sure that he'd be glad to help."  
Peter thought. He realized it was his only choice.  
"I'll go tonight."  
"Tonight?!? You shouldn't go tonight, Peter. You can't; you need-"  
"No, MJ. People are counting on me. I can't let them down," he said defiantly. "Especially after what happened to Uncle Ben," he thought.  
MJ refused to back down, though. "No, Peter. I won't let you. You need to sleep first."  
Peter began to feel annoyed. He knew MJ was worried about him, but he had to find out if he was losing his powers or if this was just a "stage." There were so many people who were relying on him. He let the citizens of NYC down before when he decided that he was "Spiderman, no more," two weeks ago, and not only did the crime rates soar 75%, but several innocent people died. He couldn't help thinking about the elderly man who died on the fourth floor of that burning building; he couldn't help thinking about that kid who was being punched in the dark alleyway, and finally, he couldn't help thinking about his Uncle Ben.  
"Look, tiger. I know you feel responsible for the citizens of NY, and I know they're counting on you, but you can't be there all the time. You can't save every single person; it's impossible-you'd go crazy!"  
"I know that MJ, but I can try to save as many people as I can."  
"But Peter-"  
He had to tell her; he just knew it. If MJ was going to be disappointed with him, then so be it. But he had to make her understand why he did this-why he felt this way every time. Peter sighed, "No, MJ. Listen. I have to tell you something. I was madly in love with you ever since I've seen you. In fact, I was in love with you even when I was 6. When I saw Flash give you that car during our senior year of high school, I realized that I could be nothing more to you than a friend. I mean, who would want to marry a nerd like me? I realized that you deserved so much more than what I had to offer you, but that still didn't prevent me from loving you. I was thinking, 'If only I could impress you." Then it hit me: I could buy you a car. The thing was, though, that I had to find a way to get the money by myself-Uncle Ben and Aunt May could barely scrape enough money to buy me a decent camera, and I didn't want my love for you to be a burden for them. As I was flipping through the newspaper one day, I saw this ad about a wrestling match. Whoever won would get several thousand dollars-which was enough money to buy you a decent car." He paused. He couldn't help but feel the tears well up in his eyes. MJ continued to stare at him-she was shocked that she had never noticed the love he had for her.  
"All this time, he loved me, but I was too ignorant not to see that," though MJ. Her heart swelled with pain, and she couldn't help but think about the numerous times that he had been there for her-to help her. She had never returned the favor.  
He slowly continued: "I won the match, but the man wouldn't give me the money. I was so frustrated and mad. After all of that work, not only did I NOT get the money, but I couldn't buy the car for you. As I was leaving, there was a robber, who stole the man's money. I could have stopped him, but I just let him go. I wanted revenge for what he did to me." Peter paused again and tried to swallow the large lump that was forming in his throat, but he couldn't. He looked down at his hands and continued. MJ could see the shame in his eyes.  
"That same robber tried to steal another man's car, but Uncle Ben wouldn't let him. Uncle Ben tried to stop him. So, he"-the tears were slowly streaming down his face-"shot Uncle Ben and killed him. Uncle Ben was the only one that night who did the right thing, and he wound up dying because of it." The tears were flowing quickly and blurred his vision.  
"Not only did my actions kill an innocent man-it killed a hardworking man who treated me like I was his own son," said Peter.  
"And for that," he whispered, "I will never forgive myself."  
MJ was staring at Peter intently the whole time. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him and ashamed at herself. All that time, she had been looking for the "right guy," and all that time, the "right guy" had been in front of her face the whole time. All that time, the "right guy" was there, comforting her and waiting patiently for her.  
"Oh Tiger," whispered MJ. She reached for Peter's hand and squeezed it tightly. Peter just stared at his hands.  
"Now, you understand why I have to go to Dr. Connors and find out tonight. Now you know why I have to do this-why I'm Spiderman." Peter continued to stare at his hands. He couldn't see the look of disappointment on MJ's face; it would crush his heart to know that the only woman that he had ever loved would hate him for what he had done. He would have lost all hope.  
"Peter," MJ said firmly, "Look at me." Peter slowly turned his head toward hers. She realized that the tears had stopped flowing, but his eyes were slightly red and puffy. She placed both of her hands on his face and gently wiped the tears that were on his cheeks. She stared into his gorgeous blue eyes-those blue eyes that were normally giddy, merciful, and full of joy were now filled with remorse and sorrow. It broke her heart to see him in such pain.  
"Although you're Spiderman, don't you ever forget that even Spiderman is human, Peter. You have strong emotions that sometimes, you can't control or let go of. Because of those emotions, you make mistakes, and it's OK to make mistakes. Everyone does. The most important thing is to make sure that you never REPEAT those same mistakes again, and that's what you're doing. You're saving countless lives at the expense of your own. It never occurred to you whether or not this could be your final day. You've proved to New Yorkers everywhere that real heroes do exist-even when the only thing that seems to matter is money and power. You've inspired everyone that true heroes will still do the right thing-no matter what. Most importantly, you've proved to me what true love is really about. I love you with all my heart, Tiger, because you are a true hero, and there is no one else on this planet as selfless and as heroic as you are, Mr. Parker."  
"MJ..." whispered Peter. He couldn't help but feel relieved. After all he had done, MJ had still found it in her heart to look past his flaws. "Do you really think so? I mean, I'm still a wanted-"  
"Peter," interrupted MJ, "Trust me-I know so."  
Peter couldn't help but smile slightly. All his life, he had wondered whether doing the right thing was really worth all the pain and misery that it had inflicted, whether it really made a difference. MJ hadn't given up on him; instead, she had inspired him to continue doing what was right.  
MJ leaned forward and kissed Peter's forehead lightly. She slowly let go of his face and said, "And like I said, everyone-even Spiderman-needs a day off."  
Peter smiled wider. Suddenly, he felt extremely exhausted. MJ noticed the sudden tired look on his face and gently pushed him on his bed. Peter said, "But MJ-" MJ pressed her finger on his lips. Peter nodded and quickly fell asleep as MJ sat back down on her chair. 


	8. A Hero's Aunt

Aunt May sighed. She closed her eyes as she sat on a wooden chair in the kitchen. She recalled how her life had been so happy here; this was where she and Uncle Ben had lived their entire lives. Now, she was leaving the only place that she could call home. Not only was moving difficult for her, but Peter had revealed to her what had happened on that fateful day.  
She remembered how shocked and upset she was, but she realized that it must have taken Peter a lot of courage to tell her the truth and relive the moment at the same time. Despite her disappointment, she realized that all of the disappointment in the world couldn't bring her Ben back nor would that erase her pride in Peter. Finally, she had figured out why Peter was always exhausted and always seemed to be hiding something from her. That's just like Peter, May thought, After all that guilt, he would have tried to find a way to redeem himself. She remembered that time in the bank when that horrible man-Dr. Octopus, was it?-tried to rob the bank, Peter had left her. Then, suddenly, after Peter's departure, Spiderman arrived. After Spiderman had saved her, she recognized his voice, but she couldn't believe it then. Not only that, but Spiderman returned a day after Aunt May had given Peter a good, long lecture about heroes. There was no doubt in her mind anymore: Her nephew, Peter Parker, was Spiderman. It seemed silly, but the pieces seemed to fall together.  
"May Parker," she scolded herself, "First, you have to finish packing."  
She sighed and continued to pack her belongings into large cardboard boxes. After packing several trinkets, she came across an old photo album. She stared at the photographs of her and Uncle Ben. Both of them were smiling. She flipped through the pages until she reached the last page of the album. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at the last photograph taken of Uncle Ben, herself, and Peter. They were all smiling happily and sitting on a bench in Central Park. As she closed the album, she wondered if there would ever be another day where she could live in peace-without fear of losing Peter.  
Suddenly, the phone rang.  
"Yes, hello?" asked Aunt May.  
"Yes, I am May Parker. Oh my! Yes, I will be there right away!" exclaimed Aunt May. She quickly grabbed her purse and walked out into the warm summer air. There was a Dr. Brooks who had just told her that Peter was in the hospital. She walked quickly to the closest train station.  
Three hours later, a frantic Aunt May walked into Peter's room. There, she saw MJ sitting in a chair, who was holding Peter's hand tightly. Peter was sleeping soundly in the bed next to her.  
"Mary Jane! What happened to Peter?" exclaimed Aunt May.  
"Ms. Parker!" she gently put Peter's hand on the bed and walked over to the door.  
Aunt May looked like she was about to faint. Mary Jane quickly grabbed the elderly woman's arm firmly and led her to the chair next to hers.  
"Is he all right?" asked Aunt May with a concerned expression.  
"Yes. The doctors said he'll be fine, but he still needs several days of recuperation."  
"Who did this to him?" asked Aunt May angrily. Even though May realized Peter was going to survive, she was mad at the man/men who had performed this terrible deed. She had already lost the one man whom she had loved; she couldn't lose Peter-it'd be like losing Ben all over again.  
"Dr. Octopus hurt Peter-he wanted to find out where Spiderman was."  
"That man!" Aunt May was trembling with fury. At that moment, Peter slowly opened his eyes.  
"Aunt May?" he whispered.  
"Oh, Peter!" she said as she smoothed his sweaty hair, "Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, don't worry, Aunt May. How's your new apartment?"  
"I haven't moved in yet. I still have a lot of packing to do."  
"I could help you, Aunt May."  
"Oh, don't worry about it, Peter. Besides, I know that you're extremely busy," Aunt May took Peter's hand and squeezed it. Suddenly, she turned around and asked Mary Jane, "Mary Jane, how was your wedding?" Aunt May realized that Mary Jane was still wearing her wedding gown.  
"Oh," said MJ as she blushed, "I'm...I'm not marrying John, Mrs. Parker...I realized that there was another man who I truly loved." As MJ said this, she stared at Peter. Aunt May stared at them both and saw the love that both Peter and MJ had for each other in their eyes. She sighed; she was happy for the young couple. She knew that they were right for each other, and that Peter had loved Mary Jane ever since he set his eyes on her. 


	9. I'll Prove You Wrong

Gwen Stacy stretched as the sun began to rise. She looked out of her window and thought 'What a beautiful Friday morning! I wonder if Peter's OK. I'll go ask my dad.' She wore her bath robe and walked into the kitchen. There, her father was sitting at the table, drinking coffee, and reading a copy of the Daily Bugle. The headline on the front page was: "Spidey, Doc Ock: Menaces to the City!" His father looked up at the sound of Gwen's footsteps and smiled.  
"Hi, honey! How are you?"  
"I'm fine," said Gwen as she sat across from him. She read the headline and frowned.  
"What's wrong, Gwen?"  
"It's just the headline. It really bothers me," she said.  
"Honey, Spiderman is-"  
"No, dad. If he was a real 'terror,' he would have tried to kill me like that Dr. Octopus freak," said Gwen angrily.  
"Even if he does have good intentions, then what's with the mask? Not only that, but why did he enter Peter's apartment? I'm pretty sure that he was trying to steal something, but then he saw you and that Mary Jane girl and realized that he'd be in a lot of trouble if he was caught. So, he changed his mind at the last minute," replied Gwen's father as he sipped his coffee.  
"Dad!" she said. She walked toward the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee. She sat back down at the table. "That's ridiculous! Believe whatever you want, but I think Spidey's a hero, and there's nothing else you can say that will change my mind," said an angry Gwen, "So, how's your other job?" She wanted to change the subject-she couldn't tolerate anymore insults about Spiderman. Besides, she was always curious about her father's amazing investigations and adventures. Her father was one of the best investigators of the state. She sipped her coffee.  
"Actually," he said as he smiled, "I quit."  
"WHAT?!?!?!" said Gwen as she quickly got up from her seat, "How could you-"  
"Gwen, honey, I got promoted. I'm the captain of my unit!" he said.  
"Wow, dad! That's great!" she walked over and hugged him.  
"Because of that, though, I'm not going to be the landlord of this building anymore," he said, "And I think we might be moving soon."  
Gwen quickly let go of him and stared at him with disbelief.  
"But dad-"  
"Yes, honey. I know, but I can't find any other way. I'm sorry. Besides, you'll meet new people, and who knows? Maybe you might meet your soul mate there," he said as he took another sip of his coffee.  
'The only soul mate that I wanted is already taken.' thought Gwen glumly as she plopped onto her chair. She remembered those words that Mary Jane had muttered: "I'm Peter's girlfriend." She sighed. She didn't know Peter was seeing someone. Suddenly, she realized what she was supposed to ask in the first place.  
"Uhh...dad? Did Peter come to his apartment last night?" she asked anxiously.  
Her father stared at her with a mild look of surprise on his face. "No...actually. He never returned."  
Gwen grew concerned. 'He must still be at the hospital. Wow...those must have been some pretty bad cuts and bruises.'  
Her father caught the look of worry on his daughter's face. He noticed that lately, whenever he mentioned something bad about Peter, his daughter would immediately defend him. Not only that, but her attitude would suddenly change whenever Peter was around. 'Can she be in love with him?' He straightened up and placed his hand on Gwen's.  
"Honey," said her father as Gwen sipped her coffee, "tell me the truth: do you love Peter Parker?"  
Gwen spat her coffee out and coughed slightly. She quickly stood up and grabbed a paper towel. Her face grew slightly red as she wiped the table quickly. Her father stared at her the whole time. Gwen continued to wipe the table even though it was clean, and her father grabbed her wrist firmly.  
"Gwen, stop. The table's clean enough."  
Gwen stopped, stood up stiffly, and with an indignant air asked, "So what if I do?"  
"Gwen," said her father with an exasperated sigh as he let go of her wrist, "Peter is a very lazy man. He pretends to appear exhausted all the time. Don't forget that he STILL hasn't paid his rent yet, and it's been over a month now! What kind of a boyfriend would he make if he can't even provide for himself?"  
"Dad!" said Gwen angrily, "I know that Peter hasn't paid his rent yet, but he was just stressed out. He wasn't faking it. I know it! He's a really sweet guy, and he's kind and caring. He just needs some time off."  
"Gwen, I honestly do not care if the guy's supposedly "stressed out." I understand that people **_do_** get stressed out sometimes, but if he cannot pay his rent after a MONTH, he has no sense of responsibility nor does he work hard. Although "sweet, kind, and caring" are good characteristics, "laziness, irresponsible, and dishonest" are not, and that's the type of guy that Peter Parker is."  
"But dad-"  
"Gwen," said her father impatiently, "I know you love him, but this is just a stage, sweetheart. Eventually, you'll see the true man that Peter Parker is: he's a dishonest bastard who consistently pushes off his promises and responsibilities not because he's "supposedly" tired but because he's lazy. Forget him, Gwen."  
Gwen was extremely mad at her father. 'How could he say this about someone like Peter? Peter isn't faking it. I know he isn't; he's not that type of guy. He just doesn't understand what Peter's going through.' Suddenly, an idea popped up.  
"Dad," asked Gwen, "what if I prove to you that you're wrong?"  
Her father put his mug down and stared at her daughter with an arched eyebrow. He placed his paper down and folded his arms across his chest.  
"And how are you going to do that?"  
"I'll find out WHY he's so stressed out all the time," said Gwen with a determined expression on her face, "And then you'll realize that he's stressed out for a good reason-not because he's faking it."  
Her father paused. After several seconds, he shook his head. "Gwen, I don't want you to-"  
"Please, dad?" asked Gwen. Her father saw the look of desperation in her eyes and sighed.  
"Fine, but you'll eventually see that I'm right," said her father as he picked his paper up again.  
'We'll see about that!' thought Gwen as she walked into her room.


	10. The Road to Recovery

John Jameson left the taxi and arrived at JFK airport. His father paid the cab driver as John took his bag out of the trunk. They walked together into the station. Both of them sat in a pair of hard, plastic yellow chairs.  
After ten minutes of absolute silence, there was an announcement, "American Airlines: Flight 23. Destination: Miami, Florida."  
"Well that's my flight," said John as he grabbed his light bag. Jonah quickly stood up. He put his arms on John's shoulders and stared at him.  
"Be careful, son," said Jonah.  
John nodded. "Thanks again, Dad. I won't let you down."  
"I know you won't, son," said Jonah. He put his arms off his son's shoulders and patted his back. John headed toward the boarding station. Before he went through the doorway, he looked back at his father and waved. Jonah waved back. Several seconds later, John Jameson had disappeared. Jonah sighed and turned to leave.

'This is going to be a long week.' thought Jonah as he walked out of the airport.


	11. A Lethal Visit

"Mr. Osborn?" asked a young blonde female.  
"Yes?" said Harry, annoyed. He was thinking of the meeting that Otto and he would have later on today.  
"There's a message for you from a Mrs. Watson?"  
"Oh," said Harry, "Transfer the message to my answering machine."  
"All right, sir," she said as she left Harry's office.  
"Hi, Harry! I just wanted to let you know that your best friend is in the hospital right now. It's nothing serious-don't worry. Peter will be fine, but I decided to leave this message because I know that you guys are as close to each other as brothers. He's in room 313 in St. Vincent's Medical Center. Look, I have to go. I hope you can come for a short visit. Bye!" The answering machine clicked, and in a mechanical voice, it said, "End of message."  
"Ah," said Harry as he jugged down another glass of wine, "So my supposed 'brother' is in the hospital after our little fight? Maybe I SHOULD pay him a visit."  
He pressed a small red button underneath his desk. Behind a shelf of bookcases, a secret door opened. He took his Green Goblin costume and cackled as he did so.  
He flew out of the building and soared toward the abandoned warehouse. Otto was there-mixing chemicals in glass tubes and flasks.  
"Yes, Mr. Osborn?" Otto Octavius turned to face the mask of the Green Goblin.  
"I think it's time to pay our little Spidey friend a visit," said a wide-smiling Harry Osborn.  
"Why so early, Mr. Osborn?" asked Otto.  
"Spiderman is vulnerable now. He's in the hospital-helpless and fragile."  
"Oh, really? And who gave you this information?"  
"Does it matter?!?! We both want to kill Spiderman early, don't we?"  
"Yes, Mr. Osborn, but we also know that even Spiderman has several allies. For all we know, this could be a trap."  
"Actually, a friend of mine informed me on this one. So don't worry, Otto," snapped an impatient Harry, "Besides, if we join forces when we combat Spiderman, he can't beat both of us." Otto realized that no matter how strong Spiderman was, Harry was right: he couldn't stop two villains at the same time without suffering serious injuries first. Otto nodded, and both left the old warehouse. 


	12. The Visit

MJ and Aunt May were both sleeping in their chairs. Peter stared at the two women that he held so dear. MJ apparently left at some point during his sleep because now, she was wearing a white T-shirt with a pair of black jeans and boots. He slowly got up and stared out of the window. It was a beautiful clear Friday night. Suddenly, that all too familiar tingling occurred. He walked toward MJ and quickly shook her gently.  
"MJ," he whispered. She slowly opened and rubbed her eyes.  
"You have to leave with Aunt May now."  
"Peter, what-?"  
"I'll explain later. Just leave. Now, please," pleaded Peter.  
"Peter, if-"  
"MJ, this is not the time. Just-"  
Suddenly, a pumpkin bomb landed into the room and rolled between Peter and MJ. MJ noticed the object. Peter grabbed MJ and Aunt May, who was taken aback by Peter's behavior.  
"Peter, what-"  
Green gas emerged from the pumpkin bomb. Both MJ and Aunt May became limp. Peter tried to get them out of the door, but before long, he too began to grow weary. Then he fell to the floor. Before he closed his eyes, he saw the Green Goblin fly into the room. "Harry," he whispered as everything faded to black.  
Harry saw Peter, MJ, and Aunt May. He couldn't do this; he couldn't.  
"No, I can't do this," he whispered. Otto crawled into the room through the window.  
"What are you waiting for? Kill him! Kill all of them!" snarled the mad doctor.  
"No, I can't. They're the only ones who actually cared about me," he muttered.  
"Then I will!" screamed Doctor Octopus. His tentacles reached for Peter first, but before he could reach him, Harry intervened.  
"Otto! Stop it!" screamed Harry. Before Harry could continue, he cackled and said, "What are you waiting for!? Get them!" Otto stared at Harry with a confused look, shrugged, and again, reached for Peter.  
"No! STOP!" Harry fell off the glider. Otto stared at him and walked towards him.  
"So, little Mr. Osborn is having an internal struggle?" asked Otto as he stared down at Harry, who was on his knees.  
"So what? Now, you know how I feel. But you can't defeat it, Harry. I tried, but I couldn't. Just let it consume you," snarled Otto.  
"No, I can't. I can't. I'm not like you!" screamed Harry.  
"Suit yourself!" said Otto as he turned to grab Peter. At that exact moment, a nurse entered the office and screamed. Harry tried to fight the evil within him, but eventually, he turned into the monstrous Green Goblin again. He grabbed a pumpkin bomb and flung it at the woman. She dropped her clipboard as the bomb exploded. In mere seconds, she crumpled into a pile of ashes. Harry grabbed MJ while Doc Ock grabbed Peter and Aunt May. Other doctors came running in, but by the time that they reached the door, both villains had quickly left through the window. 


	13. What's Wrong?

Several minutes later, MJ opened her eyes. She stared at the old, crumbling pieces of metal around her. She tried to move, but she was chained to a large aluminum post. Next to her was Aunt May, and in front of her, was Peter, whose clothes were tattered-revealing his Spiderman costume underneath. 'He must have put the costume on during the middle of the night.' she thought.  
'No use.' thought Peter as he struggled against the chains. His powers had officially left him now. Normally, he'd be able to break the chains with ease.  
"Ah, Parker! You're finally awake!" said Harry.  
"Harry, listen to me! You're not yourself! You have to fight this!"  
Harry just cackled, "Harry, who? There is no Harry. He has long died! Only the Green Goblin remains!"  
"Come on, Harry! I know you're in there somewhere! You're strong! You can do this!"  
"Parker, stop screaming uselessly. I'm trying to work here," said a calm Dr. Octavius.  
"Dr. Octavius, please, I know you've been through the same situation before. Help him!"  
"Parker, why should I? You, Spiderman, ruined everything. You made me into this madman. Besides, I haven't been in the same situation as Harry. I am a great scientist trying to help mankind while he is a rich teenager thirsty for power. We have extremely different priorities," Otto shook his head. "Parker, you are an intelligent young man, but you have to realize that the rest of the world doesn't care whether you do the right thing or not. The only thing that matters is-"  
"Will you cut the crap, Otto?! Get to work!" screamed Harry.  
Otto looked like he was about to attack, but he remembered his deal and walked away as he muttered curses underneath his breath.  
"What is he working on?" asked Peter. He was trying to stall for time.  
Harry narrowed his eyes and coldly replied, "That is none of your business."  
"Come on, Harry. I'm your best-"  
"You're not my best friend, Peter," said a bitter Harry Osborn, "You killed my father! You killed him!"  
Peter stood still as he bowed his head.  
Harry grinned underneath the mask. He felt that he was victorious and continued, "Why shouldn't you suffer the same way that I have? Give me a reason."  
"Harry," Peter said calmly as he looked into the yellow eyes of the mask, "you know who he was. He was killing too many innocent people for his own selfish purposes."  
"Don't you dare talk about him like that! Don't you dare!" screamed an anguished Harry, but he knew that Peter was right. He knew that his father was the former Green Goblin, who tried to kill Mary Jane, his girlfriend at the time.  
"Harry, let me explain-"  
"NO!!! NO!!!"  
"Harry, LISTEN!" screamed Peter with such ferocity that Harry actually stopped and stared at him.  
"Your father-he tried to kill me. The glider was behind me, and I didn't notice until my powers warned me of oncoming danger. I didn't know what the danger was, but I just flipped backwards. As I flipped, the glider flew towards Norman, and it impaled him. I would have stopped it if I could, but I didn't know Harry. I didn't know. I've regretted my actions until this day. You've got to trust me."  
"LIAR!" roared Harry, "How can I? Not only did you kill him, but you didn't tell me who you really were!"  
"Harry, this is who I really am: I'm Peter Parker. Spiderman is just a part of me, but the person you've seen all your life will always be Peter Parker."  
Harry was shaking. He knew that Peter's story was true; it made sense- the mask, the pumpkin bombs, his father's odd behavior before his death and during Thanksgiving two years ago-everything made sense. But he just couldn't bear the pain anymore, and he had to take it out on someone-make someone-anyone-suffer-even it was his best friend.  
"I'm sorry, Peter," said Harry as he turned and walked away. Peter hung his head. He had let another person down; he had failed again. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain around his rib cage. After the moment passed, Peter gasped. Although Peter realized his failure, he couldn't let MJ and Aunt May suffer, and he had to get through to Harry somehow. Peter tried to break the chains, and to his surprise, he broke them easily. He stared at his hands, but met a horrific sight: the pain around his rib cage had considerably ceased, but there were 3 more arms at both sides. He was taken aback, but he realized that Aunt May and MJ were still hostages, and this was his only chance. He quietly walked away and ran towards MJ, whose eyes were wide. She had heard the whole thing: Norman Osborn had tried to kill not only herself, but Peter too, and now, Harry was following in his father's footsteps.  
"Peter, what-"  
"Have no idea and no time. Leave-take Aunt May with you." Peter easily broke the chains surrounding both women and guided them towards the exit.  
"Run," Peter instructed. Despite her concern for Peter, she realized that she had to leave-for Aunt May's sake. She nodded and after one last glance, she placed one of Aunt May's arms around her neck and tried to run as quickly as possible. After MJ disappeared, Peter's spider sense warned him that something was going to be amiss.  
"The incy, wincy Spider went up the water's spout. Down came the Gobby that washed the Spider out!" screamed a voice. Peter ducked as a razor bat slightly missed his hair by several centimeters. He turned and saw Harry gliding several inches off the ground on his glider.  
"COME ON, HARRY! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" screamed Peter.  
"Peter's right," whispered Harry.  
"NO! HE KILLED ME!" screamed a voice.  
"Leave me alone! Leave me alone!"  
"Harry, you can do this!" screamed Peter. While Harry was fighting with his internal demon, Dr. Octavius had crept behind Peter. He sensed Doctor Octopus and jumped. Unfortunately, Peter didn't realize that one of Dr. Octopus's tentacles had just ejected a knife and was trying to kill Peter. At that moment, Harry had seemed to gain a slight edge over his internal demon. As Harry tried to stand up, the tentacle zipped past its intended target and pierced through Harry's stomach.  
When Peter landed, he realized what had happened. Peter ran towards Harry as the tentacle-covered in blood-withdrew from Harry's body. Harry fell off his glider and landed on the ground. Peter grabbed Harry and released a web strand. Dr. Octopus tried to smash Peter with his other tentacles, but Peter swung away just in time. Usually, Doc Ock would follow Peter, but he realized that he had more important things to do, so he turned away and walked toward the warehouse.  
Peter was so angry at himself. He could have prevented the tentacles; he could have tried, but instead, he had flipped away like a coward. I can't think about this now thought Peter, I have to get Harry to the nearest hospital fast. Peter realized that Harry was dressed in the Green Goblin costume. He couldn't reveal to others that Harry was the Green Goblin; it would destroy him. Peter landed on the top of the 59th Street Bridge and tore Harry's Green Goblin costume apart. Fortunately, Harry had some ordinary clothing underneath it. Peter quickly took off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around Harry's stomach.  
'Harry's gonna die if I don't act fast.' thought Peter. Peter continued to swing to the closest hospital. When he arrived, he laid Harry on the roof. 'Now what do I do? No one's going to come to the roof.' He pulled his mask on and leaped onto the next building. He spotted an empty room on the 25th floor. He swung back to the roof, picked Harry up, placed him on his back, and crawled to the window. He opened it and placed Harry on the bed. Just as he turned around, a nurse entered the office and flicked on the lights. She looked up and saw Spiderman standing over the body of Harry Osborn. Then she suddenly ran out of the room screaming, "Spiderman killed Harry Osborn!" as Peter swung away. 'Great.' he thought. 'My apartment's demolished, Harry blames me for his father's death, Octavius is still a raving lunatic, and now, Jonah's gonna have another headline about me.' Peter sighed. 'Can't think about that now, though. I have to find MJ and Aunt May and find out what the hell is happening to me.' 


	14. A Promise

MJ stared into the night sky. She ran to the same hospital that Peter was in and described Aunt May's situation to the doctors. They quickly took her to the emergency room. After an hour, the doctor had assured MJ that Aunt May was going to be just fine. MJ breathed a sigh of relief. Then she remembered that Peter still wasn't there. She excused herself, and when she was out of the doctor's sight, MJ ran up the stairs to the roof. She was looking for any sign of Peter. After about an hour of anxiety, worry, and concern, she saw a large figure swing through the sky.  
"PETER!" screamed MJ.  
Peter heard a voice scream his name. He turned and saw MJ. He quickly changed course and landed beside her on the roof.  
"Peter!" she said as she embraced him.  
"MJ, I'm glad you're OK. What happened to Aunt May?" asked a worried Peter.  
"The doctor said she's going to be fine," replied MJ.  
Peter held onto MJ tightly-if only this moment could last forever. The pain in his ribs, though, reminded him that there was another thing that he had to take care of. Peter let go of MJ reluctantly. He stared into her emerald green eyes for a long time and said, "MJ, I have to go to Dr. Connors tonight. I really have to find out what's going on with me."  
MJ nodded and said worriedly, "Promise me you'll be careful."

Peter kissed her forehead and said, "I promise."

Peter turned and with one last glance, he swung away.


	15. SLAM!

Mary Jane walked down the stairs toward Aunt May's room. Before she could enter, though, she was bombarded by photographers and reporters.  
"Mary Jane Watson, can you please explain what happened as the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus entered the room that you were in?"  
"Why do you think that they targeted Peter Parker?"  
"Do you think this was just an attempt by the Green Goblin to attract Spiderman's attention?"  
'Great. Just great.' she thought. She sighed.  
"Look," said Mary Jane firmly and clearly. "I really have no time to answer questions. I have to look after my boyfriend's aunt." Mary Jane struggled against the reporters, who continued to bombard her with questions. When Mary Jane reached the door, she was about to slam it when one reporter's question caught her attention.  
"Do you think Spiderman was behind all of this?"  
Mary Jane trembled with anger and fury. She turned around and stared at the man who had screamed out that question. She regained her composure and scanned all of the anxious reporters' faces.  
"No," she said calmly, "Spiderman is a true hero. In fact, I would be dead right now if he didn't exist. He saved my life so many times that I can't even keep track. And I am absolutely furious that the media is trying to bash him just to sell more papers and attract more viewers." For a moment, the reporters grew quiet as they watched Mary Jane turn around and slam the door in their faces. 


	16. Another Piece of the Puzzle

Gwen Stacy sat in her room as she stared at the page that she had just printed. Since Peter wasn't there, she couldn't ask him any questions, so she decided to start her search by figuring out what he worked as and who he worked for. She typed in Peter's name in Google and found out that he was a photographer in the Daily Bugle. He provided James Jonah Jameson, the head of the Bugle, with pictures of Spiderman. 'Great.' she thought. 'Maybe dad's right. Maybe Peter is just lazy and irresponsible.' Gwen shook her head and mentally scolded herself. 'No, I know Peter isn't like that. He just isn't.' Normally, she would be talking with her father about his investigations right now, but now, he had to work longer hours. She walked into the living room and flopped onto the couch. She reached for the remote and turned on the TV. She flipped to the ten o'clock news.

"We have a breaking news story right now," said the TV announcer. "John, what are the details?"  
"I'm here in front of Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan right now. Apparently, just minutes ago, a nurse just witnessed a horrific scene: Harry Osborn, the son of the deceased Norman Osborn and president of the major multi-million company Oscorp, was lying unconscious in a bed. Standing beside him was Spiderman. Can it be that Spiderman has injured Harry Osborn and perhaps, possibly, tried to kill him? Here, tonight, we have Captain Stacy-who was one of the top investigators of the NYPD and has recently been promoted-on the scene. Captain Stacy, what do you make of this?"  
Gwen saw her father on the TV. He was very grim and looked extremely exhausted.  
"Well, John. It seems that from what the nurse told us, Spiderman apparently attempted to kill Mr. Osborn."  
Gwen continued to listen and stare at the TV as her father ranted about Spiderman being a menace to society and what not.  
"Do you have any final comments?" asked the reporter.  
"Yes, and this is a direct threat towards Spiderman. Spiderman, wherever you are, we will find you and hunt you down. You will not escape and get away with all the crimes you have committed."  
"Thank you, Captain Stacy," said the reporter as Gwen's father nodded and left.  
"Back to you, Kaity," said the reporter.  
Gwen was about to turn off the TV when she heard Peter's name.  
"In other news, tonight, a man named Peter Parker, his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, and his aunt, May Parker were kidnapped by the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus. Evidently, his aunt, May Parker, and his girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, escaped unharmed, and they are currently in St. Vincent's Hospital. Although Ms. Watson refused to comment on the actual kidnapping, she did make a comment about Spiderman: "Spiderman is a true hero. In fact, I would be dead right now if he didn't exist. He saved my life so many times that I can't even keep track. And I am absolutely furious that the media is trying to bash him just to sell more papers and attract more viewers."  
"We will now turn to Mr. James Jonah Jameson, the head of the Daily Bugle."  
The camera turned to a very stunned Jameson. Jameson quickly regained his composure as the reporter turned to him.  
"Mr. Jameson," said the reporter, "you claim that Spiderman is a-"  
"Menace. I tell ya: he's nothing more than a menace! He's just as bad as the Green Goblin and Doc Ock. He just hires people and freaks like him to wreak havoc in order for him to save people in time, so he can gain power and glory!"  
"Do you think that Spiderman is behind Peter Parker's kidnapping?"  
"Absolutely!" said Mr. Jameson, "He probably didn't want Peter to get anymore pictures of him, and Peter, being the determined kid that he is, probably refused to comply."  
"But the Green Goblin-"  
"The Green Goblin and Doc Ock are in it with Spiderman. No doubt about it."  
"What do you make of Ms. Watson's statement about Spiderman?"  
"There are many people out there who believe the same thing. But I have a question for them-Don't you find it a little suspicious that after Spiderman appeared, these lunatics, like the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus appeared after his arrival? Isn't it just a little-"  
Gwen couldn't bear the insults anymore and just turned the TV off. She leaned back on the couch and folded her arms. 'They're wrong about Spiderman. Spiderman wasn't behind it any of it. Mary Jane's right: he's a hero. Geesh...I hope Peter's OK.' Suddenly, she remembered the scene with Peter and Mary Jane and how they went to the hospital together. 'That's odd. If both of them were kidnapped and Peter didn't return, then how did Mary Jane and his aunt escape? It's just so weird.' She yawned. 'I'll guess I'll have to figure that out tomorrow. I should go to sleep.' thought Gwen as she walked into her room.


	17. Just Let Go

James Jonah Jameson had finished talking. He grabbed a cigar and lit it as he walked out of the building. 'So, Ms. Watson is dating Peter, now?' he thought. He was filled with fury. 'And Parker never told me?!?!?! I should fire him.' He sighed. 'But I can't...he's the only one who can get pictures of that Spider freak. With Parker gone, the Daily Bugle will probably plummet.' He leaned against the wall.  
He sighed and remembered that time when his wife had left another man for him. 'I guess this is what it feels like on the other end.' he thought. 'What can I do about it now, though? I can't fire Peter. I could lower his pay, but I do that all the time.'  
He walked toward his car as he threw the cigar onto the sidewalk. He drove home while thinking of a way to get back at Parker for what he did to his son. He entered his house and slammed the door. To his surprise, his wife was still awake and sitting on the couch.  
"Hi, honey," she said as she turned around.  
"Hi," he said as he sat down next to her.  
"Darling, I just saw the interview on TV."  
He looked up and asked, "Well?"  
"Honey, I know that you're probably loathing Peter and Mary Jane right now, but you have to remember that the same thing happened to-"  
"I know, I know," interrupted an impatient Jameson, "But still-"  
"No, honey," said his wife firmly, "It's time to forgive and forget. I understand how angry you are because I felt the same way before, but James, if you hold onto this feeling of revenge, it's going to get you in the end."  
"I just wish that there was some way that I could take away all the hurt and pain for John."  
She kissed him on his cheek. "Honey, John will be fine. He's a fine young man who unlike his father," as she said this she stared at him with a coy smile, "knows how to control his emotions and when to let go. That's what you have to do right now."  
He sighed. He knew that his wife was right.  
"Honey, get some sleep," said his wife. He nodded. He stood up and walked into his bedroom as his wife stared at him. 


	18. Dr Connors and Professor Xavier

Dr. Connors was working in his laboratory late at night. He was working on his latest project, which was a formula that would enable him to grow the arm that he had lost in a car accident. He had taken the DNA from a lizard and detected the gene that controlled its regenerative property. He was about to add another chemical into his test tube when Spiderman swung in.  
"What do you want?" asked a terrified Dr. Connors as he walked away from Spiderman. He had read and seen pictures of the "masked vigilante" in the Daily Bugle. He believed the rumors, and he was afraid of Spiderman. Oddly, he noticed that unlike the pictures, Spiderman had 3 more arms on each side.  
"Dr. Connors, I'm not here to harm you. In fact, I need your help," pleaded Spiderman.  
"How can I trust you? The Bugle claims that you're a vigilante, a menace."  
"If I was really a menace, wouldn't I be attacking you right now and forcing you to help me instead of begging for it?" asked Spiderman.  
Dr. Connors opened his mouth to reply, but he realized that Spiderman had a point. He sighed. 'I'm going to regret this,' thought Dr. Connors grimly.  
"All right. What do you want?"  
"Take a blood sample-anything. I don't know what's going on with me. At first, I was losing my powers, and now, not only are my powers enhanced, but I've grown these extra limbs. Do a quick CAT scan or something."  
Dr. Connors noticed the desperation in his voice and realized that Spiderman was really telling the truth. He gestured toward a small chair, "Sit there." Spiderman obediently went and sat. Dr. Connors took a needle, injected it into Spiderman's arm, and took some blood out. He placed a small drop of it onto a slide and placed a cover slip on the sample. He placed the slide on the stage of his most expensive compound light microscope. He centered the slide and stared into the objective.  
"Interesting," muttered Dr. Connors.  
"What do you see, Doc?" asked Spiderman as he walked over to him.  
"It seems that your cells are mutating rapidly, and it seems similar to the cells of a spider."  
"Does that mean that I could become a living-well-a living human spider?"  
"It's an odd hypothesis, but so far, it seems the most logical."  
"Is there any way to stop the process, Doc?"  
"I'm sorry, but even if there was, I wouldn't know nor would I know where to start."  
Peter's face fell. What am I going to do?  
"Are you sure, Doc? No way at all?"  
Dr. Connors paused and whispered, "There are two people, but-"  
"Who?" asked an urgent Peter.  
"There are two people: Otto Octavius and someone known as Professor Xavier. Otto Octavius, as you know, is-well-not himself. Professor Xavier is a mutant and the head of a mutant group known as the X-Men. He's been studying mutant genes and genetics for ages. Fortunately, for you, he is in New York City this entire week because he is discussing the mutant issue with the government officials in the UN. However, his location is-well- unknown for security purposes."  
Peter's face fell again. He jumped onto the windowsill. 'Guess I'll have to find this mysterious "Professor Xavier" person myself.' "Thanks a lot, Doc!" said Spiderman as he shot a web strand.  
"Wait!" screamed Dr. Connors.  
"Sorry, can't! No time-people are depending on me, and I can't let them down!" said Spidey as he swung away.  
Dr. Connors stood there as he remembered the ten o'clock news that he had seen earlier. Was it true? Was Spiderman behind all the crimes? But then again, what villain would say that he couldn't let people down because they were depending on him? Dr. Connors sighed and stared at his watch-it was almost midnight. He'd continue his research tomorrow. Right now, he needed some sleep.

Author's Note: Again, thanks for the great reviews. One of the reviewers asked about Ursula, and to tell you the truth, I am honestly not sure if Ursula exists in the comics. I read somewhere on a website that said something about Ursual being half human and half witch, and she was indeed a villain. BUT don't take my word for that. I will continue to search for more info. on her. I know some of the chapters are really short, but to me, a "chapter" usually ends and another begins when it focuses on a different character. Please read and review. By the way, I would also like to hear any criticisms or recommendations of what I should do in the future. Originally, I wasn't going to make this a cross over, but I'd thought it'd be pretty cool if this actually occurred in the movies. Plus, I really like the X-Men and Spidey crossovers more. There are way too many crossovers between Spidey and Daredevil. But then again, that's just my opinion.


	19. The Secret's Out

Mary Jane Watson was staring out of a window in Aunt May's room. Aunt May was resting peacefully at the moment, and although MJ would have loved to take a nap, even if she tried, she couldn't. She was sick with worry. It was 5 AM in the morning, and not only had he not returned, but he hadn't even called her. 'Peter, where are you?' She tried calling Dr. Connors, but his answering machine picked up. 'Who would pick up at this hour of the day? Besides,' she thought, 'what was I going to say? " 'Hello, Dr. Connors. This is Mary Jane Watson. I was just wondering if Spiderman ever arrived at your office. I'm deeply worried about him.' " Yeah that would be great.' MJ sighed. Her worry for Peter suddenly reminded her of Harry. She just couldn't believe what she had heard: Norman Osborn was the former Green Goblin; Norman Osborn was trying to kill Peter, but wound up killing himself; and now, Harry was the Green Goblin?!?!?! It just happened so fast. Although MJ broke up with Harry two years ago, she still considered him a great friend. She was deeply concerned for both of them. 'I wonder where Harry is now.' She sat down on a chair and turned the TV on. She flipped onto the news.

"Last night," said the reporter, "a nurse saw Spiderman standing over the limp body of Harry Osborn, the president of the multi-million company, Oscorp. He is currently at Bellevue Hospital. Apparently, the doctors say that he will be fine. They say that it was fortunate Spiderman brought Mr. Osborn quickly or else he would have suffered enormous blood loss. This obviously raises the question: Is Spiderman a hero or a menace? More details coming-" MJ quickly turned it off. 'Peter,' she thought. She just knew that Peter would never hurt Harry, but it must have made frustrated him to see and hear the media questioning his every move.  
MJ sighed as Aunt May opened her eyes.  
"Ms. Parker?" whispered MJ.  
Aunt May turned her head and quickly grew concerned, "Where's Peter?"  
"He-he-isn't here," MJ stuttered. 'I have to tell her about Peter's secret. She has the right to know. She'll realize why he's coming home late and why he's supposedly 'irresponsible.' Oh, Peter. I'm so sorry, but your aunt deserves to know. She's going to die of stress if you keep worrying her like this.' MJ bit her lower lip.  
Aunt May noticed how tense MJ was and saw the worry in her eyes. She believed that Mary Jane was a very kind young woman. She realized that she had to tell Mary Jane about Peter's secret because MJ must be worried sick about him. 'Oh, Peter. You should have told her. Mary Jane is going to die of stress if she doesn't know.'  
MJ gave up. She sighed and took a deep breath.  
"Ms. Parker-"  
"Mary Jane-"  
"I have to tell you something," replied both women in unison. Both stared at each other.  
"You can go first, Mary Jane."  
"No, honestly, you can go first Ms. Parker."  
"Now, Mary Jane-"  
"No, really, I can wait. Please, this can wait," pleaded MJ. She really didn't want to tell her about Peter's secret.  
"No, Mary Jane," said Aunt May firmly, "go first."  
Mary Jane realized that this was going nowhere. She sighed and took a slow deep breath. She noticed Aunt May was staring at her with a worried face. She's really nice. She's so worried and concerned all the time about Harry, Peter, and me.  
"Um...Ms. Parker-"  
"Call me Aunt May, Mary Jane," Aunt May said as she smiled warmly. MJ smiled back and tried to continue: "Aunt May...I really don't want to tell you this. This is Peter's secret, and he should tell you when he feels comfortable to. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Peter's...Peter's...Peter is-"  
'I can't do this,' she thought, 'I really shouldn't have tried. This is his secret. He's going-'  
"Spiderman," whispered Aunt May. MJ looked at the elderly woman in shock. 'How did she know?'  
Aunt May caught the look of surprise on MJ's face and chuckled slightly.  
"So, you've known for some time, Mary Jane?" asked Aunt May. MJ nodded silently. For several seconds, the room was extremely quiet. Then MJ looked at Aunt May with a curious expression. She was about to ask a question when Aunt May said, "So, now you're wondering how did I find out?" MJ again nodded silently.  
"Peter actually helped me figure it out," said Aunt May, "First of all, I always found it strange that Peter was the only ONE who could take pictures of Spiderman. That wasn't a big clue, though. I just thought that Peter and Spiderman had connections, but they were still two separate people. Secondly, I remembered that time after the field trip to the science lab. He came home, and he looked horrible. Then the next day, his arms felt firm and strong-which was odd considering Peter never worked heavily at the gym. He wasn't wearing glasses either, and he told me he was wearing contacts-which was another odd thing because he never bought any. Then, several days ago, I was attacked at the bank, and Peter left me. I just couldn't believe that he could abandon me like that. Then Spiderman showed up. After Spiderman rescued, his voice seemed so familiar. I thought I was being silly, but still, it seemed so similar to Peter's. When I looked back, I knew that Spiderman just had to be Peter. His voice, his sudden 20/20 eyesight, his sudden strength: the pieces just seemed to fit together." Aunt May sighed. After several seconds of absolute silence, Aunt May asked, "How did you know?"  
"Well, like you said, Peter left lots of clues behind for me too. The first thing was when Peter saved me during the World Unity Festival." MJ remembered how Spiderman had swung down and grabbed her before she fell toward her sure death, "We landed on a roof." MJ smiled just thinking about it. "When he turned around to leave, I asked him who he was. And Peter said that I knew who he was. It almost felt like he wanted to tell me, but couldn't. Then, Peter rescued me from these thugs after my first audition as Spiderman again. We kissed each other in the rain," MJ stopped and recalled that breath-taking kiss. She could remember that day so vividly:  
_"You're," she shook her head as she smiled widely, "amazing."  
She leaned forward and stared into those opaque eyes. He was just so incredible. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him-how much she appreciated his help. She wanted to see who it was behind that red, emotionless mask. She felt the line that separated his mask and suit. She slowly pulled it down and stopped when it revealed his mouth. She closed her eyes and kissed him. She was soaked at the moment, but that kiss made her warm and tingly all over. Her heart swelled, and her head felt like she was floating on Cloud Nine. She could feel his tongue slide over hers and realized that he shared the same love for her. She was so delighted and kissed him harder. He kissed back. She didn't want this moment to end. They continued to kiss passionately as the raindrops poured and danced on them. When she could no longer breathe, Mary Jane slowly, but reluctantly pulled back. She wished she could rip that mask off and see the face behind it. Instead, she slowly pulled it back up until the only thing she could see was the red mask with its white opaque eyes.  
_ Mary Jane slowly continued: "Then, after Norman Osborn's funeral, I kissed Peter again and it seemed so odd how his kiss and the kiss I had with Spiderman were so familiar. I felt the same sense of warmth and comfort." She stopped again and remembered that day:  
_She kissed him with all her heart and soul-kissed him like no other. He kissed her back. This was the man that she wanted to be with-who she truly loved-not Spiderman, not Harry Osborn, not Flash Thompson-but Peter Parker: the nerd, the geek-but the man who had always been there for her: he had helped her, comforted her, guided her, and provided her with a shoulder to lean on. But he quickly pulled back. His eyes were filled with regret and sorrow.  
"MJ, I will always be there for you-as a friend. I will always be your friend," whispered a stunned Peter.  
"Only a friend?" asked MJ.  
"That's all I have to give," he said as he walked away without looking back. Mary Jane stared at the ground as her heart shattered into a million pieces. She felt the tears build in her eyes. 'How can you do this to me, Peter? I know you love me because I felt you kiss me back with the same desire in your heart. Why? Wait...that kiss...it seems so familiar. It reminds me of that time in the alley way-' Then it clicked. With a slight gasp, she quickly looked up and stared at the man who had denied her love with a look of surprise. 'Can it be? Peter, Spiderman-the same?'  
_ "I knew that there was no way...no way at all that two separate people could give me two kisses just as passionate without being the same person. I tried kissing John before our wedding, and I just didn't feel that same love. There were other clues, too. I guess I knew all along that Peter wanted to say, 'I love you,' but he never did. He seemed like he was holding back-like something was preventing him from telling me. There was also this fight between Peter and Flash. Peter had really quick reflexes and dodged every one of Flash's punches. Then he just stuck out his fist and Flash went flying back and slammed onto the floor. It was so weird; Peter never really liked gym, and he never seemed like the guy with the six- pack abs. Not only that, but Peter and I went to a diner together three days ago. We were talking-when suddenly-without even looking back-he pushed me off my seat. It turns out that Dr. Octopus had hurled a car through the window, and it would have smashed both of us had Peter not pushed me to the floor. I wasn't thinking at the time because I was scared out of my wits of the Doc, but when I look back at it now, I realized that without his powers, there would have been no way that both Peter and I could have survived."  
MJ stopped. Several seconds passed.  
"Um...Aunt May...Harry's in Bellevue Hospital-"  
"Really?" asked Aunt May. Another concerned expression crossed her face. (She hadn't heard what Harry had said earlier because she was unconscious at the time.)  
"Yes, and I don't want to-"  
"Go, Mary Jane. I'll be fine," said Aunt May as she closed her eyes. Mary Jane was about to protest, but Aunt May said, "I'm extremely tired anyway. Tell him that I hope he feels better."  
Mary Jane nodded as she saw Aunt May breathe slowly and calmly. She pulled up the blanket, grabbed her purse, and walked out of the room.


	20. Revenge is Sweet

"Almost there!" whispered Doctor Octopus. Ever since that money hogging, greedy teenage kid, Harry Osborn, left, he had been working on his latest invention: electrodes that could be attached to his tentacles. That way, he could electrocute his enemies. 'If only I could have examined Peter. He would have been such an interesting specimen to dissect and observe,' thought Otto as he stared at his plans.  
"Yes, don't worry, my pet," said Otto as he raised one of his metal tentacles, "It will be finished!"  
Doctor Octopus leaned over and wrote a complex, mathematical formula. Oddly, this warehouse was the same one where he had supposedly drowned in three days ago when he brought his life's work down with him. He remembered that day, and then thoughts of his wife drifted into his mind. 'She was so beautiful' he thought as he stopped writing. His tentacles rose and slammed down onto the table-as if they were angry. Otto crushed the paper and whispered, "It's all Spiderman's fault. Yes, you're right. If he hadn't interfered, my dream would have become a reality. I would have been a renowned scientist by now! People would have realized the genius-the man who I really was. Not as a monster, but as a scientist who provided the world with an amazing energy source. I could have accomplished so many things had it not been for PARKER! He won't get away with it this time though," said Doctor Octopus as a malicious smile formed.  
"Oh no-he, his little girlfriend, and his precious auntie will suffer. I can't kill Harry yet because I need his resources, but later- he'll pay too," hissed the mad doctor as the metal tentacles flailed around him with joy.  
"Yes, my pets...yes," he said as he walked away. 


	21. A Human Spider

Peter landed on top of a roof. 'God, am I tired,' he thought, 'I've been searching since midnight and still I see no signs of this Professor Xavier person and his X-Men!'  
'I wonder if JJ has a new headline,' he wondered. He saw a newstand below him and shot a web strand from one of his limbs. He pulled it up. 'I should have-ah! There we go!' he thought as he pulled out $0.50 from his right boot. He slipped the boot on, and with his web strand, he placed the two quarters on the counter.  
He was about to read the headline when suddenly, pain-horrible searing pain-gripped his ribs and his head. Peter collapsed onto the floor of the roof and gripped his side. 'Wow...what a headache.' he thought as he took off his mask and tried to shake it off. It was so painful that Peter couldn't even walk, so he crawled to the edge of the roof. Before he reached it, though, everything around him faded to black as he fell onto the roof with a soft 'thud.' Peter's limbs suddenly turned to thin legs-similar to those of a spider. He was covered with thin black hairs all over his body. He no longer had a nose, and his mouth was replaced with a pair of pincers. Eight red eyes formed, and Peter's mind was thirsty for blood. Peter Parker had become a breathing, living Spiderman-literally. 


	22. Pain and Heartache

John Jameson left the airport. 'I wasn't supposed to be here today.' he thought glumly. He hailed a cab. During the silent ride, he was constantly thinking about MJ. 'I wonder who she's seeing now. I hope she's happy.' He sighed. 'I'm not.'  
"This the place?" asked the cabbie. John snapped out of his reverie and looked up. In front of him was a small one-story house with a vegetable garden at the side. John took his bag and left the cab. After he paid the driver, he stood in front of his house.  
'If things went as planned, I wouldn't be standing here right now.' he thought as he walked into the house. He looked around at the familiar room-despite the familiarity, the room seemed to emanate a strange, cold feeling. All the chairs, bookshelves, the TV, and the small coffee table were right where he had last left them. He sat on the couch and flipped on the TV.  
"Will you marry me, Betty?" asked the young actor.  
"Oh, Chris-yes, of course! I love you with all my heart!" replied the brunette as she kissed her would-be husband.  
John angrily flipped the channel.  
"You may kiss the bride," said the priest as the beautiful couple kissed each other passionately under the moonlight.  
John flipped the channel again.  
"This was a great honeymoon, sweetheart."  
"But nothing is as great as you," said the man.  
"Oh James!" said the red-head as they leaned back on their bed and kissed each other.  
"AAAGGGGHHH!" screamed John as he angrily turned the TV off. He stamped out of the den and entered the kitchen. He grabbed several plates and started slamming them on the floor of the kitchen. After several bangs and crashes, John stopped and leaned against the wall. He began to take slow, deep breaths. 'Why, MJ, why? Who is this guy that's "so amazing?" You have no idea how much I love you.' He slowly sank to the floor of the kitchen and buried his head in his hands in frustration, anger, and hurt. 


	23. Why?

Mary Jane Watson walked quickly to Harry's room. When she was in front of his door, her hand was trembling as she slowly turned the doorknob. 'OK, Mary Jane Watson. Harry needs you now more than ever, so smile for his sake.' she thought with a determined face.  
She put on a huge smile and opened the door.  
"Hi, Harry. It's me, MJ. I was just-"  
However, Mary Jane did not see Harry lying on his bed. She slowly walked towards the window and heard the roar of an engine and an evil, familiar cackle. Mary Jane gasped and was about to turn around when she saw an orange ball fly past her. Her eyes grew wide with horror and fear, and she quickly ran out of the room. A split second after Mary Jane ran out of the door, the bomb detonated. She quickly threw herself onto the floor as everything else in the room turned into a huge pile of ashes. Mary Jane slowly picked herself up and turned to see what remained of the room.  
"Oh Harry," she whispered to herself as she stared at the ash covered room. "Why?" 


	24. Blood Thirsty

The monster rose up from the roof and roared. Pedestrians walking on the street below, stopped, and looked toward the source of the sound.  
"Look!" said an elderly woman as she pointed toward the monster's costume, "It's Spiderman!"  
"Wow," said one man with a briefcase as he looked up, "he looks totally different from those Daily Bugle pictures."  
The monster looked down at the crowd, and all he could think of was the growing pang of hunger in his stomach. He jumped off the skyscraper and landed gracefully on the street below. He saw a little boy and reached for him with one of his limbs. Before he could even open his pincers, though, a brick hit the monster's head. The monster quickly dropped the boy and turned around to search for the attacker. Another man threw his shoe. A woman threw her purse. Soon enough, the monster was bombarded with flying purses, suitcases, shoes, pipes, bricks, and all sorts of objects.  
"Leave him alone, you freak!" screamed one woman.  
"Yeah, Spiderman! Get out of here!" screamed another man as he took his shoe off.  
The monster roared and shot a web strand from one of his limbs. He swung away as the civilians below continued to scream and hurl insults at Spiderman. 


	25. Breaking News

Professor Xavier was silently meditating when Cyclops stormed into his office. It had been three years since his fiancee, Jean Grey, had died, and he was slowly recovering from the loss.  
"Scott? What's the matter?" he asked as he slowly opened his eyes.  
"Professor," said Cyclops in a grave tone. "Come quickly."  
Professor Xavier quickly wheeled himself out of his office and entered the living room, where Logan, Rogue, Bobby, and Storm were gathered around the TV.  
"Breaking News Story," said the reporter, "The menace known as Spiderman just tried to attack a young 10 year old boy. Witnesses say he left after several pedestrians bombarded him with shoes, purses, and any nearby objects that they could get their hands on. We go to John for more details."  
Bobby picked up the remote and turned the TV off. He leaned against the brick wall while Cyclops turned to the Professor.  
"Well, Professor," asked Cyclops, "What should we do?"  
Professor Xavier placed his hands together. "Scott, Logan, Storm-try to locate Spiderman."  
Bobby was about to protest when Xavier turned around and stared at him, "No, Bobby."  
He turned back to Scott, Storm, and Logan and continued: "Do not harm him."  
Cyclops nodded. Then he turned around and walked away with Logan and Storm following close behind him. 'This is unfair.' thought a fuming Bobby. Rogue turned around and saw Bobby's eyes filling with anger.  
"Professor," said Bobby, "Rogue and I can help them. They need more-"  
"Bobby, that's enough," said Professor Xavier as he wheeled away.  
"Don't worry, Bobby," said Rogue, "he'll eventually realize that the X-Men need us."  
"I hope so," he mumbled as he sat on the couch. 


	26. The Search

Gwen Stacy walked into the living room, where she saw her father frantically writing some notes in his notepad.  
"Hey dad! How was your day?" she asked as she sat next to him.  
"Exhausting," said her father as he looked up at her. She realized that he wasn't himself: he looked a lot more tired, his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair was standing in different directions.  
'Wow...this job must be really tiring for him,' thought Gwen as she poured a cup of coffee.  
"Here," said Gwen as she handed him the cup. He looked up and smiled. He took the cup and starting sipping the cup of joe.  
"Dad, maybe it'd be better if you took a small break. You've been working since midnight, and you didn't return until 5 AM this morning," said a concerned Gwen.  
"Honey, I really want to get this investigation over with. I can't let innocent people get hurt after what happened to Harry Osborn."  
Gwen sighed. "Dad, Spiderman is not-"  
"Yes, he is, honey. Who else would have dressed up in a Spiderman costume and then swung out through the window?!?!?!" asked her father angrily. He pounded his right fist on the table, which startled Gwen. She had never seen her father so angry and so stressed out before.  
"Dad, calm-"  
"No, I can't, honey. It just makes me so angry and frustrated when freaks like Spiderman and the Green Goblin are killing innocent people for their own selfish purposes!"  
"Dad, he saved my life! How can you say that? I wouldn't be alive right now if it weren't for him!" said Gwen angrily.  
"Honey," said her father as he leaned over and grabbed her hand, "I really don't want to fight anymore, so we can just avoid the subject for now?"  
Gwen nodded. Her father smiled and then stared back at his notes again.  
After several moments of silence, her father asked without lifting his eyes off from his notes, "So, how's your search going?"  
"Huh? Oh you mean Peter?" Her father nodded as he continued to scribble on his notepad.  
"Well, the only thing I found out was that he's a photographer for the Daily Bugle, and he was kidnapped yesterday by the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus."  
Her father stopped and looked at Gwen, whose eyes were filling with tears.  
"Oh, dad. I just hope he's OK. He doesn't deserve this; he doesn't deserve any of it," she said as the tears streamed down her face.  
"Gwen," said her father as he turned around and hugged her. Gwen hugged him back. 'She's really in love with him. I've been acting like such a jerk towards Peter. Maybe I should cut the kid some slack.' he thought. He pulled away from the embrace and looked into Gwen's eyes.  
"Honey," he whispered, "If it makes you feel better, I swear that I will find Peter."  
"Really?" she asked as she looked up, "No, don't. You're really busy with this case, and-"  
"Gwen, this is my job. I'm supposed to help others even if I am exhausted, and I will do everything humanly possible to find him. I promise."  
"Then," said Gwen determinedly, "I'll have to help you."  
"What!" exclaimed her father, "No, Gwen. It's too dangerous."  
"Dad, this is the person I love-who I want to be with. If I care about him, then I should be the one looking for Peter-not you."  
"No, honey-I will not-"  
"Dad, my mind's made up, and whatever you do, you can't stop me." huffed Gwen as she walked away from a stunned Captain Stacy. 


	27. The Project

Harry Osborn flew into the abandoned warehouse where Doctor Octopus had just left moments ago. 'Peter will pay!' he thought angrily, 'He tried to kill me! My father was right; he's a backstabber-a traitor!' He looked around and couldn't find Otto.  
"Otto! Where the hell are you?"  
There was a loud, metal clank as Dr. Octopus entered the room.  
"Did you start yet?"  
"Harry, I can't create the clone if you don't even have a sample for me. Even a strand of hair will do."  
"Hell! You're supposed to be one of the greatest minds on this earth; do you really need a sample? Couldn't you just make one out of thin air?!?"  
Otto's eyes hardened, and one of his tentacles grabbed Harry's wrist.  
  
"Look, you stupid bastard. I AM one of the greatest minds on this earth, but even the greatest scientists need materials-and if they don't have their materials, they can't start!!!!" he screamed.  
"Fine! Let me go!" screamed a furious Harry as Otto complied. 'Asshole' he thought. He walked towards his floating glider.  
"Do you even know where Parker is, Osborn?" asked Otto.  
"No, but I have a hunch," he said as he landed on his glider and flew away.  
"Yes, he'll pay dearly," whispered Dr. Octopus as his metal limbs flailed around him. He sneered and turned away. 


	28. The Interview

Gwen Stacy felt badly for hurting her father like that, but she wanted to prove to him that Peter was a great man, and although he was seeing someone, he would eventually realize her love for him. She was riding the subway to St. Vincent's Medical Center. When she arrived, she quickly ran up the stairs. 'I have to figure out how he was kidnapped and how Mary Jane and his aunt escaped.' she thought. She entered the hospital and walked up to the nurse behind the counter.  
"Hi," said Gwen, "I'm here to see Ms. May Parker."  
"Are you a relative of hers?"  
"Um...no, but-"  
"Sorry, no one is allowed to visit her except relatives and close friends."  
"But, I'm a-an-investigator! I'm here to investigate her nephew's kidnapping."  
The nurse looked at her skeptically, "Nice try, but aren't you a teeny bit too young to be investigating?"  
Suddenly, at that point, Mary Jane Watson entered the room. 'What a day...God, Peter's still not here, Harry's become the Green Goblin, Aunt May's probably worried sick of Peter, reporters and photographers bombarding me with questions yesterday about Peter and today about Harry, and I didn't even get a blink of sleep!' She walked toward the nurse and didn't even notice Gwen's presence.  
"Hello, Ms. Watson. You're here to see Ms. Parker, again, correct?"  
"Yes," she said as the nurse handed her a piece of paper. Mary Jane quickly signed it.  
Gwen stared at her. 'She looks exhausted.' thought Gwen. She straightened up and said, "Hey, Mary Jane."  
Mary Jane turned around. She was surprised to see Gwen there. 'What does she want?' thought Mary Jane.  
"Uh, hi, Gwen."  
Mary Jane turned around and began to walk away when she heard Gwen pleading with the nurse: "Please, I really need to speak to Ms. Parker!"  
"Sorry, sweetheart. Only relatives and close friends."  
Mary Jane felt extremely sorry for Gwen at that moment. 'She's only worried about Peter. She can't be a bad person if Peter was able to talk to her.' MJ turned around and said, "Gwen's a friend of mine and Peter's."  
"Really?" asked the nurse as she turned to stare at Mary Jane. Mary Jane nodded. The nurse handed Gwen a piece of paper, who quickly signed it.  
  
Gwen quickly ran up to MJ, who continued walking.  
"Hey, thanks."  
"No problem," MJ made sure the nurse was out of earshot, "So what brings you here?"  
"Peter's kidnapping," replied Gwen as both girls walked into the elevator.  
"Oh...what about it?" asked MJ.  
"I'm helping my dad out-he's the captain of one of the police units."  
"Really?" asked Mary Jane as they walked out of the elevator. Gwen nodded. They walked toward Aunt May's room. Gwen stopped as Mary Jane turned the doorknob and peered inside.  
"Don't worry; she's asleep. She's really exhausted," replied Mary Jane as she opened the door wider. Gwen quietly walked inside and saw the elderly woman lying on her bed. Mary Jane sat on a chair. 'Wow...she looks really exhausted and concerned,' thought Gwen as she stood awkwardly. After several long seconds of silence, Mary Jane asked, "So, Gwen-how have you been?"  
"Uh....busy. Look, Mary Jane, I have several questions about Peter's kidnapping," said Gwen as she took out a small notepad and a pencil.  
Mary Jane looked at her. "Oh?"  
"Yeah...um, first of all, how did you and Ms. Parker escape from Dr. Octopus and the Green Goblin without even getting harmed?"  
"Why should I answer your questions? Are you going to-"  
"Please," pleaded Gwen, "I just want to help my dad. He's been so exhausted lately, and I'm really worried about his health."  
Mary Jane heard the desperation in her voice and saw how worried Gwen was. 'Oh, why not? It won't hurt.'  
"First of all, let's get some things straight. You can't publish this anywhere, and you can't tell anyone else about this little "interview" besides your father. Got it?" asked Mary Jane sternly. Gwen quickly nodded.  
  
"Good...well," said Mary Jane, "Spiderman came in and saved us, but unfortunately, he couldn't get to Peter in time."  
"Mmm-hmm," said Gwen as she scribbled the notes down, "Did Spiderman try to save Peter?"  
"Of course," said Mary Jane, "But by that time, the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus escaped."  
"Do you really think they could have escaped so quickly? I mean, Spiderman's pretty fast and agile."  
"That doesn't mean he isn't human," snapped Mary Jane.  
"Whoa...OK....Just calm down!" said Gwen as she held up her hand.  
"Sorry."  
"It's OK," said Gwen. She paused. 'Wow....it almost seems as if Mary Jane has some kind of a relationship with Spiderman. Whenever someone throws an insult at him, it almost seems as if the insults were thrown at her.' Gwen hesitated.  
"Um...Mary Jane?"  
"Yeah?" asked Mary Jane as she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.  
"Are you and Spiderman close?"  
When Mary Jane heard this question, she immediately opened her eyes and sat up.  
"No. Why?"  
"I mean, you're always defending him and everything, so-"  
"There are other people who defend him too. I'm not the only one. Do you think every one of them has some kind of connection with Spiderman?"  
"No," said Gwen as she raised her hand again. "Look, I was just curious. It just seems that every time someone insults Spidey, you immediately snap back and talk about how great he is."  
"So?" asked Mary Jane. Gwen sensed that Mary Jane was getting defensive.  
"Just chill! I won't ask you anymore questions about it," said Gwen.  
"Sorry," said Mary Jane again.  
"All right," said Gwen, "why do you think the Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus targeted Peter?"  
"Well, he's the only one who knows where Spidey is all the time," said MJ as Gwen quickly scribbled her answer down.  
"How does Peter get those pics of Spiderman?" asked Gwen.  
"How do you know that?"asked Mary Jane as she stared at Gwen.  
"Uh-well-I-uh-actually found out by myself."  
"How?" asked Mary Jane.  
"I actually typed his name at Google, OK?" snapped an impatient Gwen, "Does that really matter? Can you just answer the question?"  
"I just wanted to know," replied Mary Jane.  
"Sorry," said Gwen quickly.  
Mary Jane shrugged it off and continued: "Well, Peter told me that he talked to Spiderman once, and Spiderman agreed to let Peter take pics of him. They're sort of friends."  
"Really?" asked Gwen, "Then who is-?"  
"Peter doesn't know. He only talks to Spidey in his costume."  
"OK," said Gwen. 'She answered that question a little too quickly for my comfort.'  
'She's getting too suspicious.' thought Mary Jane as she eyed Gwen.  
"Have you yourself ever met Spiderman personally?"  
"Look, Gwen. I'm really tired. Can we continue this some other time?"  
  
"Yeah, sure," said Gwen as she closed her notepad and tucked her pencil behind her ear. She walked toward the door, "It was nice meeting you again."  
"Same here," said Mary Jane as she closed her eyes. Gwen quickly walked out of the room and closed the door. Gwen walked to the elevator. After several seconds, she was out of the hospital. She stopped to think. 'So, Peter knows Spiderman? There's some kind of connection between those two. Every time Peter's name comes up, so does Spiderman's. Hmm...' Gwen glanced at her watch. 'Wow....it's already 5 PM. I should get home soon. I still got a ton of homework to finish from Friday. Ugh...' She walked away. 


	29. The X Men

Scott was in Central Park. He took out a small intercom in the shape of an X. "Nothing here. What about you guys? Over."  
Storm was walking around downtown Manhattan. She saw no signs of chaos. "Same here. What about you, Logan? Over."  
Logan was in the Lower East Side. "Nope. I think-"  
Suddenly, Logan heard a loud roar and a woman's scream. Logan quickly pressed a button on his intercom. "Never mind. Seems like something's going on here in the Lower East Side. Come quick."  
Storm heard Logan's message and quickly hailed a cab. "Central Park- make it fast."  
Cyclops quickly jogged to the closest sidewalk as Storm waited impatiently.  
"Thanks, Storm," he said as he entered the yellow taxi.  
"Could you make one last stop at the Lower East Side?"  
The cab driver nodded, and several minutes, they were there. Scott paid the driver as Storm quickly got out and scanned the area.  
Logan jogged over to the site where he heard the crash and saw a huge monster covered in a Spiderman costume. One of his limbs held a woman upside down. Spiderman opened its pincers and was about to devour the woman when Logan jumped on top of the monster. The monster let go of the woman as she ran away with her purse. The monster roared in anger and flung Logan against the wall.  
"Logan!" exclaimed Storm over his intercom, "Where are you?"  
Logan heard the voice and held onto the wall as he took out his intercom. "I'm behind an apartment building. It has-"  
One of the monster's limbs had taken Logan's intercom. Before Logan could grab it, the monster crushed it. Then it climbed up the fire escapes until it reached the roof.  
"You're not getting away that easily," growled Logan as he grabbed the closest fire escape. He ran up the ladders as several civilians from the other apartment stared at him. When Logan reached the roof, the monster was nowhere in site. Logan walked toward the edge of the roof. Suddenly, Logan heard a loud roar and turned around just in time to block the monster's kick.  
"You asked for it!" screamed Logan as he popped his claws out.  
"Logan! Logan!" yelled Storm. Cyclops quickly walked over to Storm.  
"He said he was behind an apartment building."  
"Great...that narrows it down to almost 1,000. We'll never be able to find-" Suddenly, both heard a loud crash and turned around to see Logan flying through the sky.  
"Never mind," said Scott as he and Storm ran towards the building.  
Logan skidded across the roof. Logan slowly got up and saw the monster leap onto the roof with a loud bang. Logan roared and charged at the monster, who gracefully flipped away. Logan raised his right hand and tried to punch the monster, but wound up punching the roof instead. The monster grabbed Logan and banged him against the roof three times before Logan pierced one of the monster's limbs. It quickly let go of Logan, who scrambled to his feet.  
"Logan!" screamed Cyclops, who arrived on the roof, "Professor Xavier told you not to-"  
"Yeah, I know! I tried being friendly, but he just won't cooperate!" screamed Logan. The monster was angry-angry at Logan for disturbing him and harming him. It was seeking revenge. It charged at Logan, but before it could reach him, Cyclops shot a thin optic beam at the monster. It turned around and charged toward Cyclops, but this time, Storm, who had flown herself up, threw bolts of lightning at it. It dodged all of them.  
'How do we knock this guy down?' thought Logan angrily. He charged at the monster, who-to Logan's surprise-wrapped him up in a strong web net. Logan struggled against the strands. Cyclops was about to shoot an optic beam at the net when the monster quickly grabbed Logan-who was still struggling-and flung him against Cyclops. Both of them fell off the roof. Storm quickly flew down to rescue her team mates. She quickly grabbed them by their collars just before they hit the sidewalk. She dropped them gently onto the ground. Cyclops got up and aimed a thin beam at Wolverine, who broke free from the net.  
"I'm gonna kill that freak!" roared an angry Logan as he climbed up the fire escapes again.  
"Wait, Logan!" screamed Cyclops, "Storm, fly me up there."  
Storm nodded as she grabbed Cyclops. All of them reached the roof at the same time and met a stunning sight: The monster was covered with a thin layer of ice. Standing behind him was a young teenager who raised his index finger and blew on it. He looked up from his work and saw the three X-Men staring at him. Next to him, there was a young female teenager standing in front of a large sleek jet.  
"Bobby, Rogue!" said Scott angrily, "Professor Xavier specifically told you guys that you couldn't come!"  
"What?" said Bobby, "Should I miss out on all the fun? Besides, you guys seemed like you needed some assistance."  
"We were handling the situation just fine-"  
"Yeah: getting your asses kicked by this dude sounds to me like your handling the situation really well," replied a sarcastic Bobby.  
Cyclops was about to speak when Storm intervened: "Cyclops, he's right. He did help us stop Spiderman."  
"Besides," said Logan, "we have to get this thing out of here before the ice melts and he starts another rampage."  
Cyclops sighed and reluctantly agreed: "Fine. Come on. Let's get onto the X-jet."  
Logan and Bobby carried the monster to a cage and locked him up while Storm and Cyclops sat in front of the X-Jet.  
Several minutes later, the X-Men had gathered around Professor Xavier in their laboratory. Rogue and Bobby were worried that they would receive another lecture from the professor. Instead, he told them that he felt that they were mature enough to join the elder group of X-Men. Both of the young teenagers were delighted. Now, Professor Xavier was staring at a sample of blood that he had extracted from the monster under a compound light microscope while everyone-except for Cyclops-surrounded him  
Cyclops stared at the monster that they had warmed slightly in order to melt the thin layer of ice that Bobby had covered it in. It seemed unconscious-for the moment. Scott pressed a button, and a metal door divided the monster from the X-Men. Cyclops turned around and walked towards Professor Xavier.  
"Well, Professor?" asked Cyclops. Professor Xavier took his eyes off the blood sample and looked at Scott.  
"It seems that his cells are mutating rapidly. He can no longer think like a human, and his mind is always blood-thirsty."  
"How long will the process last?" asked Rogue.  
"Fortunately, it seems that there are also a large number of cells that retain their human properties. Thus, it might take several days, but no more than that. If we're lucky, it might only last several hours."  
"What do we do until-"  
Logan was interrupted by a loud bang. All of the X-Men turned around. Cyclops placed his fingers on his visor while Logan popped his claws out. Rogue took off her glove while Bobby covered his body in a thin layer of ice. They braced themselves as the monster tore the door down. Cyclops turned the dial on his visor and aimed a beam at the monster. This time, the monster was ready because its spider sense blared. It jumped onto the ceiling and flung one of its limbs at Cyclops, who was slammed against the ceiling. Bobby tried to aim a thin beam of ice at it, but the monster dodged it. It landed on top of Logan, who tried to shake the monster off. Bobby tried to aim another beam at the monster, but at the last moment, the monster jumped off as the beam hit Logan, who froze. Storm (who couldn't use her powers inside) tried to follow the monster and prevent him from escaping, but it wrapped her in a thick layer of webbing. It grabbed her and flung her against Professor Xavier, and both of them slammed against the wall. Rogue slowly advanced behind the monster while Bobby-who didn't realize Rogue was behind-charged in front of it. It flipped onto the ceiling as Rogue and Bobby collided with each other.  
Unfortunately, Rogue's hands touched Bobby's face, and she absorbed him, who slumped to the floor. The monster landed onto the floor and advanced on Rogue, who was kneeling next to Bobby and crying. When Rogue looked up, the monster stopped, and visions of Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Gwen Stacy flashed into its mind. It roared in anger and confusion as it swung away from Rogue and out the door. 


	30. The Final Piece

**Author's Note:** Hey, sorry I couldn't write one in my previous update, but I was in the library, and I didn't have enough time. Umm...in case, u guys haven't noticed (I'm pretty sure most of you figured it out by now, but I'll still write it here.) whenever a sentence is surrounded by this mark: (eg. 'Here I am.'), it means that the sentence is what the person is thinking. He/she is not saying it out loud. And whenever it's surrounded by this: ("Here I am."), it means that the sentence refers to what someone is saying. I tried to find more about Ursula, but I couldn't find a lot of info. For all of you Spidey comic book fans out there, can you please e-mail if anyone knows more about her? Thanks. Again, thanks for the great reviews. Now 'drumrolls' let's continue!

Gwen Stacy tapped her pencil against her textbook as she stared at the complex physics problem in front of her. She angrily flung her pencil on her notebook and stamped out of her room. 'God, I wish Dad was here. He would have helped me, or we would be talking by now,' thought Gwen. She took her notepad out of the pocket of her jeans and flipped through it as she skimmed through several pages of notes. 'OK...so far, from that 'interview,' I know that Peter actually has a personal relationship with Spiderman. Not only that, but whatever Peter does, Spiderman seems as if he's tied into it somehow.'  
Suddenly, she heard a loud bang in the apartment next to hers. 'Wait,' thought Gwen, 'that's Peter's apartment! Oh my god! Peter might be here!' She quickly walked out of her apartment. She grabbed Peter's door- which was unlocked-and banged it. Instead of seeing her geeky neighbor, she heard the wind flowing through an open window.  
'Odd,' thought Gwen as she cautiously walked inside. Peter's apartment wasn't repaired yet, and some of the floorboards would have collapsed with just one step. As she closed the window, she heard a loud thud. She quickly turned around and saw a spider like creature dressed in Spiderman's costume. As the monster advanced on her, Gwen slowly backed away. In her horror, she had forgotten that the window was behind her. The old window's hinges easily gave way, and Gwen screamed as she fell right through. In two seconds, she realized that instead of hitting the cold concrete on the ground below, she felt the wind roaring past her ears and hairy limbs holding her securely. They landed on a roof, and when Gwen stood up, she turned to see the monster that had swung her to safety. Suddenly, everything made sense: Spiderman, Peter, and the monster in front of her: 'Oh my god! Peter's Spiderman! Something must have happened to him!' The monster's demeanor quickly changed as it realized the hunger gnawing at its stomach. Before its limb reached Gwen, though, Gwen looked up and whispered with tear-filled eyes, "What happened to you, Peter?"  
Something in the back of the monster's brain stopped him in his tracks. With a trembling hand, Gwen placed her hand on the monster's chest and looked into those red eyes. Tears streamed down her face. The monster backed away-almost as if it was frightened by her touch.  
"Wait, Peter!" said Gwen. But it was too late-it dropped in mid-air, shot a web strand, and swung away.


	31. The New Recruits

'Oh, Bobby, I'm so sorry. Please be OK,' thought Rogue as she knelt beside Bobby. Cyclops slowly got up and leaned against the wall for support. He saw Rogue kneeling next to Bobby, a frozen Logan, a wrapped up Storm, and a slumped Xavier. He quickly walked toward Storm, and using his optic beam, he freed her from the web net. After Cyclops freed her, both she and Scott placed an unconscious Xavier onto his wheelchair-which had miraculously remained intact. Storm turned to Cyclops, "Will he be OK?"  
"I can still feel a pulse, and his breathing is pretty steady," Cyclops replied slowly. His response did not erase the worry on Storm's face. Suddenly, they heard Rogue's soft sobs. Cyclops was about to walk toward her when Storm placed an arm in front of him.  
"I'll handle this," said Storm as Cyclops nodded and turned his attention to the Professor.  
"Rogue?" asked Storm as she walked toward the girl.  
"Storm, I don't know if Bobby's going to be OK," said Rogue as she continued to look over Bobby, "What if I hurt him or-"  
"Rogue, it was an accident. He'll be fine," said Storm firmly. Rogue nodded.  
"Here," she said as she handed Rogue a napkin. Rogue took it and wiped her tears away.  
"What a headache!" moaned Bobby softly as he placed one of his hands on his head.  
Rogue's unhappiness suddenly turned to ecstasy, and she was about to hug Bobby when Storm tapped her shoulder. Rogue turned around and saw Storm handing her a pair of gloves.  
"Oh-right," said Rogue sheepishly as she quickly put them on. She turned around and hugged Bobby tightly.  
"Oh, Bobby! I'm so glad you're OK!" whispered Rogue.  
"What'd you'd think I'd be? Dead?" he replied as he hugged her back.  
"No, but something close to it," she said.  
"You'd never hurt me like that, Rogue," said Bobby.  
"Sorry to break this moment," said Cyclops, "but Logan's stuck in a thick block of ice, the professor's unconscious, and that monster's still running loose."  
"Cyclops," said Storm as she stood up, "I think we have to split up. Someone has to take care of the Professor and Logan while the other half look for Spiderman."  
"I am NOT letting Bobby and Rogue go," said Cyclops defiantly. Storm looked at Cyclops.  
"Scott, I think it's our only choice," she said, "We're the only ones who know how to operate the machinery in here and we know how to contact the others if we need reinforcements. Besides, by then, Logan should be unfrozen, and he can go after them."  
Scott shook his head, "I don't care. We'll wait until Logan's unfrozen then-"  
"And wait as that monster kills innocent people?" asked Bobby impatiently as Rogue helped him up. Scott paused.  
"Besides, if we do need help, we'll contact you with the intercom," replied Rogue.  
Scott sighed. "Fine-but be careful."  
Bobby and Rogue nodded and quickly jogged out of the door.  
"I've got a bad feeling about this, Storm," said Scott.  
"Give them a chance. Besides, they might surprise you," she said. 


	32. The Showdown

Harry was angrily flying on his glider. 'I can't believe it! I looked into the hospital, I checked his apartment, I checked his home! I checked every possible place, and I STILL can't find him!' he thought. He flew into the abandoned building, where Otto had been waiting for him.  
"Have you found anything?" asked Otto angrily.  
"No-I searched every place that he could be, and I can't find him anywhere!" said Harry.  
Otto smirked. "Typical. A young teenager will never be able to do the job right."  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" screamed Harry.  
Otto raised his hand and feigned innocence. "Nothing."  
"Otto, I'm getting sick of you. I'm the one in charge. I have the money-the resources. I-"  
"Excuse me?" asked Otto. "You're the one in charge? Who was the one who made this deal in the first place? Who is the one with the intelligence? You may have the resources, Osborn, but you would never be able to get this far without me!"  
"I could do perfectly fine without you. I don't need your help!"  
Otto smirked again. Harry-who was trembling in anger-slowly reached for a bomb. Otto, however, noticed this slight movement. One of his tentacles reached for Harry while the other crushed the bomb.  
"Look, Osborn. I am getting extremely tired of this charade. Either you listen to me or-"  
Suddenly, the monster swung into the warehouse. Although Harry was upside down, he still noticed the spider symbol on its chest.  
"Peter?" asked Harry. Otto stared at the creature with a growing amount of interest in his eyes.  
"Fascinating," muttered Dr. Octopus as he dropped Harry onto the floor. Both villains stared at their nemesis in wonder. The monster lunged for Octavius, who easily dodged it. The monster turned its attention to Harry, who threw a pumpkin bomb at it. Once it made contact with the monster's face, foul-smelling, green gas caused the monster to go limp.  
"Well, Otto? What is that about a teenager never being able to do the job right?"  
"Shut-up," muttered Octavius as he kneeled next to the being.  
"Octavius, you can get the sample now-you know."  
"Harry, Harry, Harry," said Octavius as he shook his head, "Why go on with the project when our nemesis is right here for us? We just have to kill him, and from the looks of it, we won't have a hard job doing that."  
Harry considered what Otto was saying.  
"No," he said as he shook his head, "No, the best way is to make him suffer not just physically, but psychologically. Do you think something as petty as death will be enough? I don't think so."  
Before Otto could argue, though, both of them heard a loud voice scream, "Freeze!"  
Both turned around to see two teenagers: one a young boy covered in ice and the other was a young girl with a leather outfit and a white stripe in her otherwise brown hair.  
"Wow, that was pretty fast," said the girl.  
"And who are you?" asked Otto angrily.  
"We're the X-Men, and here to take THAT thing with us," replied Bobby.  
"You're not going to get him!" screamed Harry.  
"Who's gonna stop us? You?" replied Bobby with a smirk.  
"Uh, Bobby," said Rogue nervously, "I don't think-"  
"Look, Rogue," interrupted Bobby, "I'll handle this."  
"Yeah, I am!" exclaimed Harry angrily as he threw a dozen razor bats at Bobby and Rogue. Rogue ran out of the way while Bobby froze as many as he could.  
"Am I good or what?" said Bobby as he froze every one of the bats that was heading straight for him.  
"Bobby, watch out!" screamed Rogue. Bobby turned around just in time to see Harry flying on his glider. He quickly ran and performed a somersault to avoid the collision.  
Meanwhile, Octavius advanced on Rogue.  
"Watch out," said Rogue. Otto's metal tentacles reached for her.  
"I mean it!" said Rogue as she backed away.  
"Teenagers," muttered Octavius as he rolled his eyes. His four limbs wrapped around Rogue and began squeezing her. She tried to move her hands. 'Almost there,' she thought as her left hand reached for her right glove. Otto-being the observant scientist-grabbed both her wrists tightly.  
"Catch me if you can you loser!" screamed Bobby as he rolled away.  
Harry continued to throw razor bats and bombs at Bobby, who continued to dodge them.  
"Bobby!" screamed Rogue. Bobby turned around to see Octavius trying to squeeze her to death.  
"Rogue!" shouted Bobby as he quickly formed an ice bridge to transport himself toward her. He didn't realize that Harry was quickly advancing, and his glider had ejected two knives. Before any of them could continue their struggles, though, the monster had awoken, and it flung itself onto Harry's glider. Harry-due to his inexperience-easily fell. The monster swung away as the glider smashed into Bobby's ice slide. Bobby fell and hit the ground. Octavius let go of Rogue and turned his attention toward Spiderman. By that time, though, the monster had swung out of the warehouse. Harry quickly got up from the floor, landed on his glider, and turned to Rogue and Bobby, who were both lying on the ground.  
"We'll continue this later," said Harry as he and Octavius followed Spiderman.  
Bobby quickly got up and helped Rogue up. He hugged her tightly and whispered, "Are you OK?" Rogue nodded silently.  
"Bobby," she said as she gasped, "I-think-we-need-back-up."  
"No way," said Bobby, "We can do this. We have to prove to them that we're not kids anymore."  
"But Bobby-"  
"No, Rogue. We can do this-we HAVE to." Rogue looked up and saw the determination in Bobby's eyes. She slowly nodded as Bobby smiled. He quickly formed an ice slide and with a wave of his hand, he said, "Ladies first."  
Rogue smiled and got onto the ice slide.  
"Hold on! We've got a monster to catch!" said Bobby as he covered his body in ice again. Rogue held onto his waist as she and Bobby slid across the ice slide.  
"Damn! I don't see any signs of the monster or those guys!" said Bobby.  
"Bobby, maybe we have to make this ice slide go higher," said Rogue. Bobby nodded and made a towering ice slide.  
"That's as high as it can go," said Bobby. Suddenly, there was a loud explosion. Bobby quickly got up and ran to the top of the slide. He saw the bright lights. He quickly grabbed Rogue as he said, "And away we go!" He continued the ice slide and slid towards the scene. 


	33. How?

Mary Jane Watson leaned against the windowsill and stared into the night sky. She saw the headline about Peter in the Daily Bugle: "Spiderman attacks 10-year-old." She just finished reading the article and couldn't believe it. She refused to. She opened the window to let in some fresh air and walked toward Aunt May. She held her hand tightly. Aunt May hadn't woken up since their little conversation this morning, and Mary Jane was afraid that she had entered a comatose state. The doctors said that at this point, they weren't sure, and they had to wait until tomorrow. Mary Jane sighed.  
Little did Mary Jane know that above her, on the ceiling, was the monster-waiting patiently for the right moment. 'Why do I get the feeling that someone is staring at me?' thought Mary Jane as she looked around her. She closed the curtains and hugged herself. The monster flipped in front of her.  
"AAGGGHH!" Mary Jane screamed. She noticed the red and blue pieces of cloth.  
"Peter," whispered Mary Jane as she realized what was happening, "don't you remember me, Mary Jane?"  
The monster walked towards her as its pincers frantically opened and closed. Suddenly, the door opened. A security guard had heard Mary Jane's scream and quickly took out his gun.  
"Freeze!" he screamed as he pointed the gun towards the monster. The monster turned around. It growled, and a thin web strand shot out from of its limbs. It "thwiped" onto the gun, and the monster flung it away. Before anyone could react, they all heard an evil cackle as the Green Goblin crashed through the window with his glider. Dr. Octopus was right behind him.  
"Surprise!" said the Goblin evilly. The monster roared and charged at them. Both easily dodged his clumsy attempt. The monster quickly shot a web strand and crawled toward the roof. The Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus followed.  
Mary Jane quickly headed for the door. The security guard, however, caught her.  
"Ma'am, I'm going to ask you to stay inside," said the security guard calmly.  
"Look, I have to get to the roof, now!" screamed Mary Jane. The security guard refused to let her go, though, and pushed her onto a chair.  
"No," said Mary Jane as she got up, "you don't understand. Someone I know is up there and-"  
"Ma'am, please these freaks are extremely dangerous," said the guard. Mary Jane realized that she couldn't get to the roof. 'What can I do? I can't tell the security guard about Peter's secret. I have to figure a way out.' 


	34. The Encounter

The monster ran up toward the roof as the Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus chased after him. When they reached the roof, the monster lunged at them. The Green Goblin quickly threw several dozen of his orange pumpkin bombs as the monster gracefully flipped away from them. From above, it almost seemed like a fireworks display as a bright light flashed and disappeared soon to be replaced by another one.  
'AAARRRGGGGHHH!' screamed Harry.  
"Leave it to me," said Dr. Octopus as he walked toward Spiderman. He grabbed the monster in mid-air with two of his metal tentacles. He flung Spiderman against a metal box full of switches and wires. The impact of the throw was so hard that the box broke off the post. Before the monster could stand up, one of Otto's tentacles-which was attached with an electrode- electrocuted it. The monster roared in agony. It slowly got up while Octavius grabbed it and flung it against a pile of bricks that fell to the ground below. The monster tried to get up, but after several attempts, it slowly fell to the floor.  
Gwen Stacy was running toward St. Vincent's Medical Center. The minute Peter had swung away, she had run down the stairs and exited the building. 'Oh, god. I hope-' Suddenly, she saw doctors, nurses, and patients frantically running out of the hospital's entrance. She pushed against the crowd. She peered through the clear doors of the hospital. She heard the air conditioner running, but the lights were off. 'I got to get to Mary Jane and May Parker. I have to-' She heard a loud crash and quickly looked up. She saw bricks falling toward her.  
Bobby and Rogue finally reached the empty hospital. A large crowd of people were running out of the hospital.  
"Bobby! Look!" screamed Rogue. Bobby saw where Rogue's finger was pointing to and saw a young blonde woman staring at the falling debris. He quickly sped towards her on his slide and grabbed her just as the debris hit the ground.  
"Thanks," said the blonde as she hugged Bobby tightly.  
"No problem," replied Bobby. He quickly dropped her next to the entrance and was about to leave when the girl stopped him.  
"Wait!" Both Bobby and Rogue turned around.  
"Who are you guys?"  
"We're the X-Men," said Rogue quickly, "Sorry, we can't chat, but we have to get to Spiderman-"  
"Really?" interrupted the blonde, "I came here too just for that reason. I have to get to his girlfriend and his aunt-they might be in danger."  
"Wait," said Bobby as he lowered his ice slide towards her, "You know who he is?"  
She nodded. Rogue quickly looked up at Bobby, who silently knew what she was thinking.  
"Show us where they are," said Rogue. Bobby quickly returned to his normal self, and with Rogue, he hopped off the ice slide.  
'Should I trust them?' thought Gwen, 'Heck, Gwen-this is an emergency. Not only that, but they just saved your life.'  
"Follow me," said Gwen as she headed for the stairs. Bobby and Rogue followed.  
"Look-"said Mary Jane angrily, "I really have to get up there."  
"Sorry, ma'am. I just can't let you," replied the security guard.  
Suddenly, they were surrounded in darkness. The security guard quickly flicked on his flashlight.  
"Miss, are you-"Before the security guard could finish his question, he dropped his flashlight and fell onto the floor. Mary Jane quickly picked up the flashlight and shined it toward where the security guard was standing. There, she saw Gwen, a young teenage boy, and a young girl with her left hand raised. She quickly put her glove back on.  
"Gwen?" asked Mary Jane.  
"Mary Jane, we have to get up to the roof fast," said Gwen.  
"No, you have to stay here. You don't under-"  
"Look, Mary Jane, I know Peter's Spiderman," interrupted Gwen. Mary Jane looked up at her with wide eyes.  
"How-"  
"No time," interrupted Gwen, "We have to get to Peter fast."  
Mary Jane quickly nodded.  
"Hold on, tight, ladies," said Bobby as he covered himself in ice again. He quickly formed an ice slide as Rogue and Gwen hopped on. Mary Jane hesitated. Gwen noticed her slight hesitation.  
"Don't worry," said Gwen, "they're the good guys."  
"No, it's not that. I'm just worried about Aunt May. Who's going to take care of her?"  
Gwen paused and stepped off the slide.  
"I will," she said as she got off.  
"Are you-"  
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll be fine," replied Gwen as she walked toward Aunt May. Mary Jane smiled.  
"Thanks," she said as she got onto the slide.  
"Ready?" asked Bobby. Mary Jane nodded, and they quickly slid up toward the roof. 


	35. Payback

"Well done, Otto!" said Harry as he flew toward Octavius. Harry was about to jump off his glider when Octavius's metal tentacles reached for Harry.  
"What-are-you-doing?" asked Harry as he struggled against the tentacles that were squeezing him ever so tighter.  
"What I should have done a long time ago," growled Dr. Octopus.  
Suddenly, it clicked.  
"You! You were the one who almost killed me!" screamed Harry.  
Dr. Octopus smiled mischievously. "So, you finally remember? Peter was the one who saved you, and I was the one who maimed you. I was waiting for this moment. Today is the greatest moment of my life. I will finally be able to get rid of both of my enemies!" snarled Otto.  
"Otto!" gasped Harry, "You're making a big mistake!"  
"No, I'm not. I'm only doing what I had wanted to do in the first place."  
"STOP!" screamed Mary Jane. Otto turned around and saw Mary Jane, Rogue, and Bobby on his ice slide.  
"Who's going to stop me?" asked Otto as he squeezed Harry harder.  
"Your worst nightmare!" said Bobby as he aimed a beam towards Otto. Otto quickly let go of Harry and dodged the beam easily.  
"You think you can beat me that easily?" screamed Otto as he advanced toward Bobby.  
Bobby aimed another beam-but this time it wasn't ice-it was water.  
'Damn it! My powers!' he thought.  
"Rogue, get that girl and Spiderman out of here!" screamed Bobby.  
"I'm not leaving you here!" Rogue screamed back as she turned around just in time to see Dr. Octopus's tentacles reach for her. Before it made contact, though, Harry pushed her away.  
"Thanks," said Rogue as she got up.  
"Yeah-well, it was no big deal," said Harry with a shrug. They heard a loud crash, and both turned around to see Dr. Octopus's tentacles miss Bobby by several centimeters.  
"Shall we?" asked Harry as he landed on his glider. Rogue smiled.  
"Gladly," she said as both of them headed toward Bobby to help him.  
While Rogue, Bobby, and Harry were fighting Dr. Octopus, Mary Jane was searching for Peter. She saw the monster lying unconscious on the floor. She quickly knelt beside him. 'What did he do to you?' thought Mary Jane as tears streamed down her face.  
One of Otto's tentacles realized Mary Jane was kneeling next to Peter. It was right behind her when Harry quickly landed on his glider and grabbed her. Instead of hitting Mary Jane, the electrode attached to it hit the monster.  
"Peter!" screamed Mary Jane as she stared at what she believed was Peter's last moment. 


	36. Peter Parker Returns

His cells were slowly returning back to what they once were. Suddenly, a powerful jolt of electricity hit every nerve and cell of Peter Parker's body. Oddly, this jolt accelerated the cells' process. The monster's physical attributes were quickly changing.  
The black hairs diminished and returned to its normal size. The pincers were replaced by a pair of pale red lips. Eight red eyes disappeared as two blue eyes appeared in their place. A nose formed, and the six extra limbs vanished.  
Most importantly, Peter's mind was no longer thirsty for blood. Memories, human emotions, and Peter's intelligence quickly returned. No longer did the body of a monster lay on the roof-Peter Parker had returned. 


	37. The Kiss

The voice tried to persuade him to drop her.  
"Harry," whispered the evil voice, "You were doing so well before. What happened? Kill her and Parker!"  
"No-no!" he screamed as the glider landed onto the roof of another building. He dropped Mary Jane onto the roof and held his head.  
"Harry?" asked Mary Jane, "What's wrong?"  
"Get away!" he hissed. He tossed his head back and cackled. He grabbed a razor bat and was about to throw it at Mary Jane. Something in his mind resisted and tried to fight back.  
"Harry," said Mary Jane as she put her hand on his, "I don't what's going on inside your head, but whatever this demon is, you can fight it. Peter knows that you're in there somewhere-and so do I, Harry. Just try to remember."  
"Why-?"  
Before Harry could finish, though, Mary Jane's hands quickly pulled Harry's mask off.  
"If you can't remember, then, maybe I can help you," she said as she looked into his eyes. Her lips touched Harry's, and before Harry realized it, their lips locked into a long kiss. Memories flashed in his mind.  
"Don't let her!" screamed the voice in his head.  
'No, dad,' thought Harry, 'They've all been my friends-Peter, Aunt May, MJ. I can make my own decisions. You can't control me!' And the voice that had haunted Harry ever since he was a child-the voice that had berated him, rebuked him, shunned him-the voice that reminded him of his failures and mistakes-the voice that had never congratulated him-the voice that had tried to persuade him to follow in its footsteps-slowly diminished with every second as he continued to kiss Mary Jane. She quickly pulled away- feeling extremely guilty for what she had done and fearing that the kiss wouldn't jolt Harry's memories.  
"Harry?" she whispered.  
"God, Mary Jane, I'm so sorry," he said as he hugged her. Mary Jane closed her eyes and hugged him back.  
"I'm glad to have you back, Harry" she whispered. 


	38. Spidey Returns

Bobby and Rogue were battling Doc Ock, and they were losing-badly. Bobby aimed another blast of water at Doc Ock, who dodged it. He gripped his waist and fell.  
"What's wrong, Bobby?" asked Rogue as she knelt beside him.  
"I'm running out of moisture. I don't think I can even produce another blast of water," gasped Bobby, and sure enough, the thin layer of ice that was covering his body was slowly melting away-revealing his normal body within.  
"Bobby, I really think-"  
"No, Rogue. I'm fine. Don't worry," said Bobby.  
"How cute," replied Dr. Octopus as he walked toward Bobby and Rogue. With his tentacles, he grabbed Rogue's wrists and ankles. He pulled her close to his face.  
"I think I'll get rid of you, first," said Dr. Octopus, "You're easier than Iceboy here."  
'I can't let him hurt Rogue,' thought Bobby as he saw Doc Ock grab Rogue. 'Come on,' thought Bobby, 'Please-just this one last-' He slowly looked up and raised his arm. A blast of water hit Doc Ock square in the face. He quickly dropped Rogue and turned toward Bobby, who was lying on the roof with his eyes closed. Rogue quickly took off her glove, but before she could place her hand, one of Otto's tentacles grabbed her. "You've annoyed me for the last time!" screamed Otto as he flung her against the roof. Otto grabbed her again. Before he could slam her against the roof, though, a hero in tattered red-and-blue clothing hit Otto's chest. "That's no way to treat a lady!" said Peter as he landed. "Parker!?" screamed Otto as he got up. Peter shot a web strand and was going to kick Otto in the chest, but before he could complete his maneuver, Otto grabbed Peter's wrists and ankles. "You'll pay, Parker!" "Really?" asked Peter with a tone of mild surprise, "How much do I owe you?"  
Otto didn't reply and angrily threw Peter against the roof. He quickly got up and dodged Doc Ock's attacks. Behind him, Rogue was trying to place her hand on his leg, but the tentacles threw her off the roof.  
"AAAGGGGHHHH!" screamed Rogue as her arms tried to grab something sturdy, but failed to. Peter ran past the Doctor and dived toward her. Doctor Octopus looked down and smirked. 'Amateurs,' he thought. Suddenly, he remembered that Harry was on the roof of the next building.  
'This is my chance,' he thought, and using his tentacles, he walked  
towards the roof. 


	39. Mary Jane!

Peter placed his arms against his body and lowered himself to reach Rogue faster. Seconds later, he grabbed her, held her tightly, and released a web strand. The young teenager slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Peter.

"Thanks," she said as they landed onto the roof. "No problem," he replied. She quickly placed her gloves back on her hands. Suddenly, both of them heard a blood-curdling scream on the building next to them.

"Mary Jane!" screamed Peter. He quickly turned away from Rogue and swung onto the roof as Rogue took out her intercom.


	40. Jean Grey

Storm was still trying to get through the thick block of ice that Logan was trapped in. Scott was in the other room-looking after Xavier. Several seconds later, Scott walked beside her as the door behind him closed.

"Is he all right?" asked Storm as she continued to press several buttons on the machine.

"He's still out, but I think he's going to be fine," replied Scott with confidence. Storm nodded.

"I still miss her, Storm," said Scott as he looked up. Storm knew who he was referring to: Jean Grey-his fiancée. Although it was three years, she knew that Scott was still suffering heavily from the loss. He and Jean were so close, and Storm had never seen two people who were as madly in love with each other as Scott and Jean were. Storm stopped pressing the buttons and looked at Scott.

"I miss her, too, Scott," she replied softly. She could see his facial expression fall. 'He's kept all of his emotions inside him for all these years. He must be suffering so much.'

"You know, I was looking at a picture that we took when we were young. I was so afraid of loving her, Storm." Storm raised her eyebrows in surprise and quickly glanced at him. "Can you believe that? Whenever she walked down the aisle, I would stand there stunned-surprised-shocked all the time. She was the most beautiful person that I had ever seen. But I was afraid-afraid that I would hurt her more than help her. How would she explain to her parents? Would I be a good enough husband for such a kind, compassionate woman? Then, we were walking one day together in Central Park. I remember it so clearly: it was a gorgeous, sunny Thursday. The temperature was in the mid 70s, and a gentle wind was blowing. I told her about how our powers would curse our lives forever, and Jean said that our powers and our belief in Xavier's dream would conquer all evil, and because of that, in reality, our powers weren't curses, but rather unique gifts that would help humanity. That's the type of person Jean was: always optimistic-the glass was always half full to her. Then Jean slapped me. I was so shocked. She angrily turned her back. She said the only reason why she had offered to walk with me here was because she wanted me to admit my true feelings for her. She said that she knew I was in love with her, and she couldn't understand why I was holding back. Then she turned around, looked into my eyes, and told me that she loved me more than anyone, and she was waiting patiently for all this time, but she couldn't take it anymore. Then-I guess it was this sudden urge, this sudden impulse-I grabbed her and kissed her. She was surprised at first, but after she got over the initial feeling of shock, she kissed back. We've been in love with each other ever since. God- when she disappeared under the water that day, I felt like a part of me was dying."

Scott fell silent as Storm finally looked up from the machine. She looked at his face and the grief written all over it.

"Scott, I know what you're going through. Jean was my first friend here when I arrived at the institute. She was a great person, Scott-I know. I miss her everyday, but we can't let her sacrifice be in vain." Scott slowly nodded, but Storm realized that no matter what she told him, he would never recover from the loss.

Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Storm, Cyclops, Logan, anyone?" Storm quickly took her intercom out.

"Rogue, what's wrong?" "Storm,

"Bobby'sdownandSpidermanhasundergoneadramaticchangeandIdon'tknowwhere Doc Ockisand-"

"Rogue! Calm down! Just stay there with Bobby and make sure he's safe. Scott and I will get there as quickly as possible."

"Storm, please make it quick. I just heard a man scream, and I saw this bright blue light on the next roof."

"All right. Just stay put."

"OK." Storm quickly put her intercom away. She pressed a couple more buttons, and several seconds later, Logan was shaking himself of the excess water that had melted. Meanwhile, Cyclops pressed a button on the wall. A metal door slowly opened and revealed the large X-Jet.

"Scott, what about-"

'Go, Storm,' replied the Professor, 'I'll be fine. This is much more important.'

'But, Professor-'

'Go.' Storm quickly grabbed Logan.

"Where are we-"

"We're going to get Rogue and Bobby," replied Storm as they entered the X- Jet.  
  
Mary Jane and Harry were still embracing each other when they suddenly felt a small tremor. Mary Jane quickly let go and turned around to see Doc Ock walking towards them.

"Ms. Watson, I think you should leave," said Dr. Octopus as he walked toward them, "This is between me and Mr. Osborn."

"Leave Harry alone!" she said defiantly as she stood up.

"Awwww," he said, "But I'm afraid you can't stop me." Doc Ock's tentacle reached for Mary Jane, but she bravely stood her ground. At the last second, Harry quickly got up and ran in front of her. Instead of electrocuting Mary Jane, it electrocuted him. Mary Jane let out a scream as Harry fell to the floor. She quickly knelt beside him.

"Why did you do this to him? He did nothing to you!" screamed Mary Jane as tears flowed down her face. Her eyes burned with anger and hatred for Octavius. She looked up at him.

"Quite the contrary, Ms. Watson. He hurt me more than you can imagine," replied Otto as he walked toward her. "Hey, Ockie! Get a load of this!" screamed a voice. Before Mary Jane's eyes, she saw-in shock and awe-Peter kick Dr. Octopus directly in the chest. Peter landed on the roof while Otto fell. 'Oh my god!' Mary Jane thought, 'He's back!' Mary Jane watched as Dr. Octavius and Peter battled each other. Suddenly, she saw the glimpse of the metal tentacle, a bright blue light, and heard a scream. Several seconds later, she saw Peter lying on the ground. 'No, he can't be!' thought Mary Jane as she stared at Peter's motionless body.


	41. Help Arrives

Rogue quickly turned off her intercom and knelt beside Bobby. She gently placed him on his back and felt his pulse. Bobby slowly opened his eyes.  
"Rogue, what happened to everyone?" he asked slowly.  
"Shhh...just relax." Bobby closed his eyes as Rogue's hair began to blow in front of her face. She turned around to see the X-Jet landing. Logan quickly ran out of the jet after it landed.  
"What happened to the kid?" he asked as he carried Bobby's limp body and walked toward the X-Jet.  
"I think he's really wiped out. By the time we finished fighting Doc Ock, he couldn't even shoot another blast of water."  
"That bad?" asked Logan as he and Rogue walked into the X-Jet. Rogue nodded as Logan laid Bobby at the back of the ship.  
"What happened?" asked Storm as she quickly jogged toward them.  
"The kid's exhausted."  
"Logan, will he be all right?" asked Rogue with a worried glance.  
Cyclops walked toward the group and quickly checked Bobby.  
"He just needs some rest," replied Cyclops.  
'Scott, it seems that Spiderman needs some assistance.'  
'All right, Professor.'  
"Storm, Logan-let's head out. Rogue, stay here with Bobby and don't go anywhere." With those words said, the three eldest members of the X-Men quickly headed down while Rogue sat beside Bobby. 


	42. A Promise is A Promise

'Got to get up,' thought Peter as he slowly started to push himself off the ground. He quickly fell again. His body told him to give up-that it was pointless. His mind, though, recalled the last moment he had with MJ before he turned into the spider creature. An image of Mary Jane's concerned face popped up in his head.

" 'Promise me you'll be careful.' " He vividly remembered his honest reply: 'I promise.'

'No, I can't give up. I made a promise to MJ,' thought Peter defiantly. Before he could get up, though, Octavius pul d him up. "Any last words?" he whispered. "Yeah," replied an exhausted Peter, "Take this!" And with that, Peter quickly shot a web net at the doctor's face. Doc Ock immediately stopped and tried to rip the webbing off. Peter quickly shot a web strand, swung from it, and kicked Octavius. Octavius stumbled for several seconds, and he fell off the edge of the roof as the red and blue hero landed gracefully onto the roof.

Mary Jane had been watching it all. Her heart had stopped when she saw Peter's motionless body on the ground. She wanted to move, but she couldn't. She wished that she were having a nightmare, but Harry's shallow breathing and the loud clanks of Dr. Octopus's tentacles told her that this was far from a little nightmare-this was reality. After the short battle that she had just seen, Mary Jane quickly walked towards Peter, and as he turned around, she threw her arms around him.

"Peter," she said as she hugged him tightly, "When I saw you back there- being electrocuted by Doc Ock-I thought you were dead."

"A promise is a promise, MJ," replied Peter. Mary Jane quickly let go and took out something from her pocket.

"Here," she said as she handed him a small object, "While I was watching after your aunt, I decided to make another one for you." Peter looked at the small object in his hands. He felt the soft red material, traced the intricate black web motif, and stared at the white octave lenses. He looked up at MJ and smiled.

"Thanks, MJ," he said. He leaned forward to kiss her when his spider sense blared. He quickly turned his face away and slipped on his mask. Little did Peter know that one of Octavius's tentacles had grabbed his ankle. And before he realized what was happening, the tentacle pulled him down.

"Peter!" screamed Mary Jane. She quickly leaned toward the edge of the roof to see Peter falling to the ground.


	43. The Kiss: Part Two

Peter quickly shot a web strand and landed onto the building. He quickly glanced up and saw Otto looming over him.  
"You'll pay for this!" screamed Otto as two of his tentacles reached for Peter. Peter quickly flipped away as Otto climbed toward him. Peter dropped in mid-air and grabbed a nearby flagpole post. He twirled on it several times and dropped to the ground. Octavius was close behind. When Octavius reached the ground, Peter released a large web net at him. Using his two lower tentacles, Octavius easily dodged it. With his other two tentacles, he grabbed Peter and brought him close to his face.  
"Parker," he whispered, "when will you learn your lesson?"  
"I learned a pretty interesting lesson a few days ago, and I actually got a pretty grade on the pop quiz that came after that lesson, but-" Before Peter could finish, Octavius flung him. Peter braced himself for the hit, but it never came. Peter looked up and saw an African woman with white hair drop him gently onto the ground.  
"Thanks," said Peter as he stood up. The woman was about to land next to him when Octavius's limb grabbed her waist. Suddenly, a red optic beam hit Dr. Octavius as he dropped her down. Peter quickly turned around and saw a man with a black visor and another man, who had three claws on each hand. On each of their uniforms, he saw a small silver X enclosed in a circle.  
'So this must be the X-Men,' thought Peter as he stared at them.  
  
Gwen Stacy couldn't take it anymore. 'Sorry, Mary Jane, but I just can't look after Ms. Parker anymore. I'm too worried about Peter.' She had seen Peter and Doc Ock fall to the ground below through the window, and now, she was deeply concerned. She quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs. When she reached the lobby, she saw Peter and three people in leather uniforms fighting. She saw Doc Ock grab Peter and fling him through the doors of the hospital.  
"Peter!" shouted Gwen. She ran towards him and knelt beside him.  
"Are you OK?" asked Gwen. She helped Peter sit up. He shook his head and looked up at her.  
"Miss, what are you doing here?"  
"Peter, I'm looking after your aunt, May Parker."  
"My aunt?" asked Peter, trying to sound surprised, "Miss, you-uh-must be mistaken-I-"  
Suddenly, Peter heard a roll of thunder and saw the X-Men trying to fight Dr. Octopus. He turned to Gwen and trying to look authoritative, he straightened up.  
"Look, ma'am. I don't know what you're talking about or what you're doing here, but I've gotta help those guys out. I strongly suggest that you stay inside, but away from this floor."  
Without looking back, Peter swung out and joined the struggling X- Men.

Storm's eyes turned white as she summoned dark, threatening rain clouds over the scene. She used her hands to throw bolts of lightning, but Doc Ock quickly climbed onto a nearby skyscraper. Cyclops threw a large optic beam at Doc Ock, who was unable to dodge his attack. He fell down to the ground below, and Logan roared as he charged at the Doc.  
Octavius easily used his tentacles to block all of Logan's attacks and hits. When Logan tried to punch Octavius, one of his tentacles flung him against a nearby building. People were running away from the scene in panic. Using three of his tentacles, he grabbed all of them. The situation seemed hopeless as the heroes continued to struggle against their tight grip.  
"FOOLS!" screamed Otto, "Now who will protect you?"  
"Actually," replied Peter, "the question is who will protect you!" Octavius turned around to see Peter swing toward him with a kick. Octavius loosened his grip on the heroes, who all fell to the floor in exhaustion. Octavius began to climb up the building as Spidey quickly followed behind. He grabbed several flower pots and threw them at Peter, who quickly ducked.  
"Hey, I never knew I was battling Martha Stewart!" screamed Peter as he dodged another flower pot. Peter landed in front of the Doc and threw an uppercut. Octavius took the blow and blood started pouring from his jaw.  
His tentacles reached for him. Before they reached him, though, Peter shot another web net at them and jumped over Otto. Otto was struggling and trying to free his tentacles from the sturdy webbing.  
"Hey Ockie, I'm proud to announce that you'll be the first to see my new trick!" With that, Peter quickly formed a whip made out of webbing, and with a flick of his wrist, it wrappd around Otto's waist. Using all the strength he could muster, he raised Otto and banged him against the wall. Otto grew limp and fell to the ground just as the X-Men began to get up.  
Peter quickly jumped down and tied Otto in a web net. Just then, Peter heard loud sirens and turned around to see several police cars lining the street.  
"Freeze!" screamed Captain Stacy as he got out of his car and pointed a gun at Peter, "All of you are under arrest and have the right to remain silent!" As the officers surrounded the heroes and pointed their guns at them, they didn't realize that a thin mist was forming around the four heroes' feet until it was too late.  
"What the hell?!" whispered Captain Stacy as a thick fog veiled the heroes from his view.  
"Let's go!" said Cyclops. Storm-whose eyes were still white-grabbed Logan and Cyclops and soared to the roof. Peter leaped onto the building and quickly climbed up the wall. Unfortunately, Storm had not veiled Peter, and as he climbed up, Captain Stacy spotted him. He quickly aimed his gun and fired away as the officers around him started shooting bullets at the wall-crawling hero.  
  
Gwen Stacy saw her father shooting bullets at Peter. 'Oh my god! I've got to stop him!' she thought. She quickly ran towards her father.  
"Stop!" she screamed. Captain Stacy turned around to see his daughter running in the path of a dozen bullets.  
  
'Spider sense is tingling!' thought Peter. He quickly saw Gwen running towards her father. 'That's odd. Nothing's-' Suddenly, Peter heard a shout and looked towards Gwen's left: to his horror, he saw a dozen policemen trying to aim their guns at Peter, but none of them realized that Gwen was running towards them until it was too late. Peter quickly dived towards her just as they all shot their guns.  
  
"Gwen!" screamed her father, "Get out of the way!" He was about to run towards her when he saw her disappear and soar into the air as a red and blue blur. The police were about to shoot at Spiderman, but Captain Stacy ran in front of them.  
"Stop shooting!" screamed Captain Stacy. Captain Stacy looked after the red and blue blur and saw it land on a nearby roof.  
"Stay here, and take care of Doc Ock. I'll take care of Spidey," he said as he ran towards the roof. The police officers turned their attention to Doc Ock, who was still covered in Spidey's webbing. One officer noticed a small slip of paper on one of the Doc's tentacles.  
"Hey, Paul! Look at this!" said the officer as he pointed to it. His best friend turned around and saw the slip of paper with five words hastily scribbled on it: "Courtesy Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman."  
  
Peter soared through the air holding Gwen tightly in one arm and releasing a web strand. Peter had mistakenly judged his landing and instead of landing on his feet, he fell on his back with Gwen lying on top of him. Peter was about to get up when Gwen pushed him down.  
"Uh-miss-"  
"Parker, don't fool with me," said a defiant Gwen, "I know it's you."  
Peter tried to laugh it off, but underneath his mask, his face was growing red. "Miss-you"  
Before he could finish his sentence, though, Gwen's hands reached for his mask. To his surprise, he didn't stop her. She didn't open it, but instead, she opened it slightly until it revealed his lips. She leaned forward with her eyes closed and kissed him. Peter felt his head floating. 'No, I can't do this,' he thought, but he didn't pull back. Instead, he kissed back-hard. They laid there, kissing each other passionately under the moonlight. Peter felt his heart soar and remembered the time that he and MJ had kissed in the rain. 'What about MJ?' He quickly pulled back from the kiss as Gwen turned her head away with shame in her eyes. She quickly got off Peter and stood up, hugging herself as Peter pulled the remainder of his mask over his lips.

"I'm sorry, Peter," she whispered, "I shouldn't be doing this. I know you love Mary Jane, but-" Tears flowed from her eyes. Peter couldn't bear to see Gwen in tears. He tried to console her.

"Gwen-I-I-don't-I mean-I-" Both heard a loud bang and saw Captain Stacy in the door. 'And that's my cue to leave,' thought Peter as he quickly stood up.

"Freeze!" screamed Captain Stacy. He quickly reached for his gun, but by that time, Peter had swung away. Captain Stacy quickly walked toward Gwen and hugged him. Gwen, however, angrily pushed him away.

"Gwen, what-?" She turned around with anger building up in her eyes. The tears were still flowing.

"How could you do that to him?"

"Gwen-he's-"

"Spidey saved my life twice. What more proof do you need?!?" she screamed.

"Gwen, let's just go home to-"

"No, Dad. I'll go home by myself."

"I was just trying to protect-"

"Dad, you can't protect me all the time! I'm not your little girl anymore!" With that said, Gwen walked past her father with the tears flowing freely from her eyes.


	44. Friends

Mary Jane was watching the fight for the whole time. She saw a blonde woman run into the path of several bullets when she heard Harry moan.  
"Oh my god! Harry!" She ran towards him and helped him sit up.  
"What-?"  
Before he could reply, MJ hugged him.  
"I'm so glad you're OK," she whispered. Harry felt slightly stunned, but hugged her back. He remembered the kiss that they had shared. 'Could she still..?' When she let go, Harry stared at her. Mary Jane quickly looked up with regret written all over her face.  
"Harry-"  
"Yeah?"  
"I just want you to know that I gave you that kiss because I was just trying to help you. I don't want to hurt your feelings, but the truth is that I still love Peter."  
Harry slowly nodded. He knew it was too good to be true. Although they had broken up two years ago, Harry still had some lingering feelings for her, but now, he realized that she was hopelessly in love with Peter. Harry had learned to accept that fact over the years.  
"Are we still friends, Harry?" asked a timid MJ. To her relief, she saw Harry smile.  
"Of course, MJ."  
"Harry, and about Peter-"  
Harry's eyes slightly hardened; he was still mad at Peter for what he had done to his father. MJ noticed Harry's attitude change, and she tried to defend Peter: "Harry, you guys have been best friends for a long time, and Peter didn't steal your father's love. Not only that, but he didn't steal me away from you. In fact, I was the one who became attracted to him. Harry, just please, let the past remain that way: in the past. Harry, Peter would never do any of this intentionally-you should know that." Mary Jane's words slowly entered Harry's mind, and although he didn't want to believe it, he had to accept the cold, hard truth: Mary Jane was in love with Peter, Peter was Spiderman, and his father was the Green Goblin-a mad villain who had murdered several people for his own benefit. Harry quickly stood up, and Mary Jane helped him. He walked on top of his glider and looked back at MJ.  
"Harry, where are you going?"  
"Home. Look, MJ, I know all of that stuff is true, but I just need some time by myself. I need to sort things out-alone."  
Mary Jane nodded, and before Harry flew off, she said, "Just remember, Harry, that if you need help, I'll be there for you, OK?"  
Harry gave a curt nod, and with one last glance at his ex-girlfriend, his glider rose into the air and soared away. 


	45. The New X Men

"What happened?" asked a stern Cyclops as he stared at the two youngest members of the X-Men. They were all at the back of the X-Jet. Rogue fidgeted slightly in her chair under Cyclops's sharp glare while Bobby sat up on his stretcher.  
"Well-we were trying to find Spiderman and fight Doc Ock at the same time," said Rogue timidly as Bobby looked up at Cyclops.  
"And-well-everything was going pretty well-"  
"Pretty well?" asked Scott angrily, "Bobby not being able to shoot even a blast of water, and you almost dying? God, if Spiderman wasn't there, you two would probably be dead by now."  
Bobby turned his head towards Scott and tried to get off the stretcher. Instead, he sat back down on it. He stared into Scott's visor and through gritted teeth, he mumbled, "We were handling the situation just fine-"  
"As someone once wisely told me, 'Yeah: getting your asses kicked by some dude sounds to me like you're handling the situation really well,' " replied Scott. Bobby clenched his teeth as he heard Scott use the same, exact words that he had uttered back at him. 'I guess that's a taste of my own medicine' he thought angrily.  
"But, Mr. Summers-"said Rogue.  
"Rogue, Bobby," said Scott, "you promised Storm and me that you would be careful. Not only that, but Rogue, you assured me that you would use the intercom if you guys were in trouble. Why didn't you contact us until it was almost too late?"  
"Don't reprimand Rogue," snapped Bobby. Then he hung his head and whispered, "She did want to contact you guys. I was the one who talked her out of it. Don't blame her." He looked up, and Scott could see the resolve in Bobby's eyes, "I wanted to prove to you guys that you can't treat us like kids anymore. We're a lot more mature now, and we have a better understanding of our powers. You have to admit that as each day passes by, you guys are getting older, and once you guys are gone, who's going to make Professor Xavier's dream a reality? If you keep on protecting us from all the "bad guys" out there, then we'll never be able to learn for ourselves."  
  
Scott was about to lash back at Bobby, but a gruff voice interrupted him: "Kid's got a point." Scott turned around to see Logan walking towards them. Logan crossed his arms and leaned against the silver metal wall.  
"Stay out of this Wolverine."  
"Look, One-Eye. I know that Rogue and Bobby probably should have called for back up and yadi yadi yada, but the thing is that he's right: They're not kids anymore. They can fight on their own. They have to make their own decisions, and if it nearly costs them their lives, well tough luck. That's the only way they'll survive."  
Before Scott could argue, Storm-who was at the pilot's seat-announced that they had arrived. Scott quickly turned to Rogue and Bobby, who were still looking at him. He sighed and shook his head. 'I hate it when Logan's right,' he thought bitterly.  
"Fine, I'll let you guys off the hook," he said, "but you have to realize that even adults need help. Sometimes, even we look to friends and sometimes-even absolute strangers-for assistance. Being an adult doesn't mean you're always able to emerge from every battle as the victor. Sometimes, it means actually asking for and accepting aid when needed. Understand?" Both nodded their heads earnestly.  
"Are you guys coming or not?" asked an impatient Storm. Cyclops handed Iceman a pair of crutches as Storm walked toward the back of the X- Jet. Iceman quickly grabbed the crutches and held them tightly as Rogue stood up. Wolverine turned around, and with that the five members of the new X-Men walked out of the X-Jet to meet their mentor, Professor Xavier- ready to face the many dangers and perils that awaited them in the future. 


	46. Nothing Important

As Peter swung away from Gwen, he realized that his heart was broken into two pieces. One side of him still loved the beautiful red head who was still waiting patiently for him on the roof of the hospital. The other told him to forget all about her and move on with the blonde that he had known for only two years. 'And I thought battling the Green Goblin, your best friend, and your role model was tough,' thought Peter.  
'I don't know what's going to happen later on, but I have to tell her soon.'  
  
Mary Jane looked up and saw Peter swinging towards her. She knew that she didn't love Harry, but she still felt guilty anyway. 'Even if I don't love Harry, I have to be honest. I have to tell him soon,' thought MJ as she saw Peter landing beside her.  
"Hey, MJ. I-"  
"Tiger, I have to tell you something," said Mary Jane as she wrung her hands. Peter noticed that she was a nervous wreck.  
"What's wrong?" asked Peter with a worried voice.  
"Peter, I love you-you know that, right?" asked Mary Jane.  
"Of course I do, MJ."  
"I don't want to lose you, Peter, so hopefully, you'll trust me when I say this," replied MJ. Peter continued to look at her through his mask.  
"Peter-while you were this monster-Harry saved me from being electrocuted by Doc Ock." Peter continued to stare at her with concern written all over his face. MJ mentally took a deep breath and continued. "Then-well-he-uh-he was going to drop me into the air, and I noticed that something was wrong with him. He wasn't acting like his normal old self. I tried to talk to him, but he just told me to get away." MJ stopped and swallowed for a moment. "So, I ripped his mask off, and-and-I-I-I kissed him." She quickly looked up. She realized that she couldn't see any facial expressions or reactions. 'I wish I could see his face,' thought MJ, 'But I can't. If someone comes here...'  
"Tiger," she said as she gripped his hand, "you have to realize that I only did it because I was trying to help Harry. It was the only idea that I could think of at the moment. I don't love him, and I don't have any lingering feelings for him. Harry's just a great friend." Mary Jane's heart stopped when Peter didn't respond. 'God, how do I tell MJ what just happened?' thought Peter. MJ's touch snapped Peter back to reality. She held his hand.

"Peter, please, understand," whispered MJ. After what seemed like an eternity to MJ, Peter finally spoke: "MJ, I trust you-don't worry. I understand you were just trying to help him." MJ felt a huge burden lift off her shoulders as tears of joy flowed from her face.

"Oh, Tiger. For a moment there, I thought you wouldn't believe me." "MJ," said Peter as he stared at her with those white opaque eyes, "How could I not trust you when all this time, you've always had faith in me-no matter what other people have said?" He wiped her tears away as MJ smiled, and although she couldn't see it, Peter smiled underneath his mask at the sight of her dazzling smile. Suddenly, MJ remembered that she had interrupted Peter. "So, Peter-what were you going to say before I interrupted you?" asked MJ curiously. This unexpected question jolted Peter to his senses.  
"Nothing," he quickly replied, "It was nothing important."  
MJ realized that his response was so sudden and quick, but she shrugged it off.  
'It couldn't be that important,' thought MJ.


	47. Hate

"Beep! Beep! Be-!" John Jameson slapped the snooze button on his alarm clock. He couldn't sleep the other night. He groggily sat up and saw the answering machine blinking. 'Wonder who that could be from.' He leaned over and pressed the small button.  
"One new message," said the mechanical voice. John heard several cars in the distance zoom by, and after several seconds, a gruff voice could be heard on the other line, "Hi, son. I just wanted to wish you luck on your mission tomorrow. I'm sorry I can't be there for you, but I've got a paper to run."  
"End of message," said the mechanical voice, and the light stopped blinking. 'Maybe I should give Dad a call,' thought John. He got up from his bed and walked toward the phone. He stared at his alarm clock. 'Nine o'clock-he's probably at work right now.' He dialed the phone number of the Daily Bugle.  
"Hello, Daily Bugle. Who is this?" asked a female voice.  
"Hi, Betty. Can I speak to my father?"  
"Sure," said Betty, "Hold on." John waited as he imagined what was happening in his father's office. 'He's probably yelling at some reporter right now. Maybe he's-'  
"Son, how are you?" asked a gruff voice on the other line.  
"Hey dad. I'm fine," lied John. 'I still can't believe I'm thinking about her.'

"Son, what's wrong? You can't fool me."  
John sighed. "It's just..."  
"Mary Jane, isn't it? Listen, son, I know you really loved her, but just get over it, she's not good enough for you if she left you standing at the altar."  
"Dad, Mary Jane's a great person. I guess, I just wasn't good enough for her." To his surprise, he heard a loud slam on the other end.  
"Don't you dare say that!" screamed his father, "No, SHE wasn't good enough for YOU. Who in their right mind would leave someone as great as you at the altar?!?! She's crazy, and she's a damn asshole. Just forget her!"  
"Dad-"  
"Just forget IT!" John knew it would be useless to argue with his father, so he dropped the subject. After long pause, John heard his father sigh.  
"Son, I'm sorry for the outburst."  
"It's all right."  
"No, it's not all right. I'm just frustrated at the moment."  
"Why?"  
"Parker-"  
"You mean the only guy who's able to get Spidey pics?"  
"Yeah-him." John couldn't help but notice the slight bitter tone of his father's voice, "He was kidnapped by the Doc and the Green Gobby, and the police don't have any clues as to where he is. Because of that, I can't run any more new pics of Spiderman. I just have stupid drawings and Parker's old pics." Suddenly, John remembered that Mary Jane was a close friend of Peter's.  
"Is Mary Jane all right?" asked John worriedly.  
"She was, but apparently, she disappeared the night before. The only clue was this huge puddle of water in the room and a security officer who was lying unconscious on the floor. They think these two people from this mutant group known as the X-Men took her away." John's heart stopped. He clenched his fists angrily. 'Who would do something like that to her?!'  
"Do they know where she is?" asked John angrily.  
"No, but they think that if they find Peter, they'll be able to find her."  
John wrinkled his head in confusion. 'Why would-?' Then it hit him. 'She's dating that photographer guy.' John almost dropped the phone when a worried voice snapped him back to reality: "Son, are you all right? Son?" John gripped the phone firmly, and in a clipped voice replied, "Yeah. Look, dad, I really have to go."  
"I understand. You've got a big day ahead of you. I wish I could-"  
"No, it's OK. I know you're really busy. Bye."  
"Bye son, and good luck."  
John quickly hung up the phone. He quickly walked to the bathroom trembling in anger and fury. He turned on the cold water and scrubbed his face hard-as if he was trying to wash away what he had just realized. He looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror. He tried to breathe calmly, but instead, he angrily punched the mirror-which shattered into three large pieces. His fist was bloody, but he didn't care. He quickly walked out of the room with hatred-hatred for the man who had stolen his wife-to-be.


	48. Do You Love Her?

Sunlight danced on Peter Parker's face as he slowly and quietly got up from his bed. He and Mary Jane had decided the night before that it was best that they spend the night in Aunt May's old house. He realized that MJ wasn't in bed, and the smell of fresh pancakes slowly entered the room. He went into the bathroom, brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, and changed into a new set of clothes. He quickly ran down the stairs and entered the kitchen. There, standing near the stove, was MJ. She was still wearing the same clothing from the night before, and she didn't have any make up on, but to Peter, she was still beautiful.  
'It reminds me of Gwen.' Thought Peter. He silently shook his head and mentally kicked himself, 'How can you think of her?!? You don't-no, web head, you do love Gwen. You've got to tell MJ soon-in fact, you should tell her right-'  
A cheery voice interrupted his train of thought: "Hey, Tiger. I made some pancakes for us. That OK?"  
Peter looked up to see MJ's face smiling at him and forced a smile on his face, "Of course." He walked towards her, and MJ placed her arms around his neck. She leaned her forehead against his. Her lips touched his, and both of them were kissing each other passionately. MJ slowly pulled back and looked at him.  
"Wow," whispered Peter as he stood there stunned. MJ smiled. She let go of his neck and grabbed his arm. She pulled him toward the small table. There were two plates stacked with pancakes. In between, there was a bottle of maple syrup, a stick of butter, and two green mugs filled with hot coffee.  
"I never knew you were such a great cook," Peter replied with a slight smile as he sat down.  
"You're not the only one with a secret, you know," said MJ as she plopped onto her seat. Peter quickly started to wolf down the pancakes.  
"Slow down, Tiger," said MJ as she stared at him above her cup of coffee.  
Peter swallowed as he looked up at her. He noticed her emerald green eyes, her gorgeous smile, and her flowing, blond hair. 'Wait...MJ doesn't have blond hair. That's Gwen.'  
"So what are we gonna do about the police?"  
"What?" asked Peter, who was obviously oblivious to his surroundings.  
"What are we gonna do about the police? How are you going to explain to them what happened?" Peter stopped and placed his fork down. MJ looked up at him expectantly.  
"Maybe," said Peter. He shook his head. "No that was a bad idea. Wait- I know this is a pretty weak excuse, but I think we could just say that I managed to escape, but I had to keep a low profile until I was sure that the Doc and the Green Goblin were gone."  
Mary Jane frowned as she put her mug down. "I don't think that'll convince the police."  
"Why-?"  
"That'll attract more attention. They'd probably want to know how you escaped."  
Peter noticed that MJ was right. "Well, then what if we say that Spiderman saved me?"  
"They would probably twist your words and say that Spidey kept you hostage."  
Peter wrinkled his forehead in thought. Mary Jane smiled.  
"For a genius, you sure don't know how to come up with something as simple as an excuse."  
Peter tried to look like the insult had hurt him, but failed. Instead he smiled and said, "Well, Ms. Perfect, do you have one?"  
"Actually, I do. It's a pretty bad one, but it's worth a shot. You could just say that you were knocked out by Dr. Octopus, and by the time you woke up, you were lying near the Hudson River."  
"That's actually pretty good," admitted Peter. 'Why do I feel like something's missing? Of course!'  
"MJ, where's Aunt-?"  
"Gwen told me she would look after her."  
"Gwen?!?" MJ looked up at the sound of Peter's squeaky voice.  
"Yes, Gwen. Why?"  
"I don't know if you saw, but Gwen was running out of the hospital last night." 'Not to mention that she kissed me too.'  
"That means-."

"Aunt May's alone, and she's still at the hospital," said Peter. He quickly got up. He turned around to see MJ's slightly disappointed face.  
"I'm sorry, MJ."  
"No, it's OK. I understand. She means the world to you." Peter walked toward her and knelt beside her. He took her hand.  
"Thanks for understanding. I'll make it up to you."  
MJ looked up at Peter with a wide grin.  
"You better, Tiger."  
Peter smiled back, but it was soon replaced by a frown. 'Wait-I don't have any-'  
"By the way, Tiger, I think you might need this," said MJ as she stood up. She handed Peter a 20.  
"No, I can't-"  
"Tiger, this is for a good reason. It's for your aunt. You can't help it if you left your wallet at your apartment. Just go." He smiled.

"Thanks, MJ." He quickly pecked her on the cheek, and with a loud bang, Peter left the house.


	49. Only Time Can Tell

Aunt May's eyes fluttered open as the sunlight streamed through the window. To her surprise, Mary Jane wasn't there. 'Oh dear,' she thought as her face turned slightly pale, 'Peter still hasn't returned.' She heard a soft click, and to her relief, she turned around to see her nephew walking into the room with worry written all over his face.

"I'm sorry I woke you up," replied Peter apologetically as he sat down in a chair.

"Oh, don't worry. I was awake before you arrived." Aunt May stared at Peter's face with concern.

"Peter, you look extremely exhausted. You look like you need more rest than I do."

"No, Aunt May. I'm just a little worn out."

"From the kidnapping?" asked Aunt May.

"Uh-yeah-from the kidnapping," said Peter. 'I can't tell her now; she's going to have a heart attack if I tell her now.'

"How did you escape?"

"Uh, well, I don't remember much. I was unconscious for most of the time, actually. When I finally woke up, I was lying near the Hudson River." Aunt May smiled mentally to herself.

"I'm so glad you're OK, Peter." She paused for several seconds. "Peter, just remember that I'm always here for you, and you can always tell me anything."

Peter stared at his aunt with a confused look. 'OK, I didn't expect that coming.'

"Uh...yeah, sure."

"So, do have anything to tell me right now?" asked Aunt May expectantly. Peter was still confused, but then he realized what she was talking about.

"Yeah, actually I do."

'He's finally going to admit it,' thought Aunt May.

"It's something really important. Actually, it's about someone."

Aunt May nodded. "Go on."

"Aunt May, how did you and Uncle Ben maintain your relationship for such a long time?"

It was Aunt May's turn to be confused. She hadn't expected that, but she mentally sighed, and she realized that Peter wasn't going to tell her now. 'Oh well, I'll wait until he's ready to tell me the truth.'

"Does this have to do with Mary Jane, Peter?"

"Um-well-kind of. OK, yes, it does. But..."

"But?"

"Aunt May, have you ever loved two people at the same time?"

Aunt May looked up at Peter. Now Aunt May realized that the look on Peter' face was not one of fatigue, but one of distress.

"No. Ben has always been the only one I've loved. Why do you ask?"

Peter looked down at his hands. "Aunt May, before I came here, I took a cab to your home. I met Gwen Stacy on the way."

"Isn't she one of your neighbors?" asked Aunt May. Peter nodded.

"Well, while I was walking home, we talked for a few seconds, and I noticed that she kind of reminded me of MJ. I guess I had some feelings for her before, but I really didn't notice it until that moment. She's gorgeous, and she's pretty feisty, too. Before I knew what was happening, she leaned forward and kissed me." He looked up at Aunt May. "And, the worst thing is that I actually enjoyed it. Even though I knew it was wrong, and I knew I was hurting MJ, I still enjoyed it." With that, his eyes looked at Aunt May with desperation. "I don't know what to do, Aunt May. I love MJ, but I love Gwen too." Peter bowed his head and shook it in disgust. "I shouldn't be doing this to you. You just woke up and-"

"Peter," interrupted Aunt May, "There's only one simple solution."

Peter looked up at Aunt May with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "There is?" Aunt May nodded with a slight smile.

"Peter, I have a question for you. Who's the woman that you're willing to sacrifice anything and everything for-including your own life? Who is the woman who is just as willing to do the same for you? Most importantly, who is the woman that you never get tired of seeing and manages to dazzle you, shock you-every time?"

"Aunt May-what if both of them make me feel that way?"

Aunt May reached for her nephew's hand, and with eyes that reflected the wisdom of this elderly New Yorker, she looked at her nephew with compassion and whispered, "Only time can tell."

'Only time can tell.' The words echoed through Peter's head as he swung through the NYC skyline in his Spiderman suit. He landed next to a large stone gargoyle and squatted down beside it. He had quietly left Aunt May when she fell asleep several minutes ago.

"Hey, buddy," he said to the gargoyle. Peter stared at the statue-whose horrific facial features reminded people what it was: a monster-a silent outcast.

"What would you do if there are two people that you care for a lot? Two people who manage to take your breath away every time? Wow-look at me: a superhero talking to a stone gargoyle. Pretty crazy, huh?" The stone statue remained still, and didn't provide Peter with a solution to his inner turmoil. Peter was about to continue, but his spider sense reminded him that he had a job to do.

"Maria! Maria! Where are you?" screamed Guillermo. He was a young Hispanic male in his early 30s. He had spiky brown hair and hazel eyes. His tight, white T-shirt revealed his muscular frame. He was walking into sure death. His neighbor's apartment had caught on fire, and he ran outside-thinking that his wife-was still behind him. He had made it out safe, but when he couldn't see any sign of Maria, he ran back in-even though 6 firefighters were trying to hold him back. He had quickly shoved them away. Now, he was shielding his eyes from the bright flickering flames and slightly coughed. He had black ash all over his body, he was exhausted, and he was beginning to feel a little dizzy. None of that mattered, though. The only thing that he could think of right now was his wife dying of smoke inhalation.

"Maria! Where-" To his relief, he heard a low familiar groan. He quickly tried to find the source of it. 'No,' he suddenly stopped in his tracks, 'that means she's in the-' He pushed the thought away and leaped over several creaky floorboards. "I'm coming Maria! Hang on!"

Maria groaned as her eyes flickered open. 'Where am I?' She rose her head slightly and saw herself in the kitchen. Everything was on fire-the stove, the fridge, the cabinets. She tried to get up, but she looked down and saw a heavy wooden beam on top of her. She tried to push it, but it wouldn't budge. She smoothed her black hair away from her blue eyes and tried to move. A hacking cough emerged from her lips and shook her body. 'Oh god,' she thought as she stopped, 'I'm gonna die here. Oh, Guillermo. I wish I could tell you that-' She heard a low creak and looked up to see the tiles of the ceiling slowly falling.

Author's Note: I hope you like my fic so far. Let's see-I don't know if any of you guys read the review that I posted, but did anyone find out ANYTHING at all about that Ursula character? I really tried making the chapters longer this time, and I just wanna let you know that I might not update in a while. I'm hitting a case of writer's block, and not only that, I have to finish some HW. (Huge procrastinator. I know. :) ) Again, this fic is nearing it's completion. I really had a great time writing and thanks for all of your reviews. Btw, I was thinking of writing a sequel to this fan-fic, too, and I might write a fan-fic for the X-Men. Please tell me your thoughts and if you guys have any recommendations, I'd sure like to hear them. Thanks.


	50. Selfish?

Mary Jane stood alone in the house. She was pacing around the kitchen and worried sick about Peter. 'He's been gone for almost three hours.' Mary Jane sighed. 'Is it always going to be like this?' she wondered. 'Peter leaves, I stay home and worry, and rejoice when-if-I get to see him alive? I love Peter, but...' Suddenly, she felt her cell phone vibrate and play the tune to her favorite song: "Vindicated."

"Hello, Mary Jane Watson speaking. Who is this?" said MJ after she flipped open her new Samsung camera phone.

"Hi, MJ. It's me, Liz."

"Liz?!?!" MJ exclaimed excitedly as she leaned against the kitchen counter, "How are you? I haven't spoken to you since high school!"

"Yeah, where have you been MJ? No-don't answer that. I know that you've starred in your first Broadway play. Congrats!"

"Thanks. I'm sorry I didn't invite you over. I've been..."

"I know, busy. Don't worry about it. How did the wedding go?"

"What?" asked MJ. Her eyes were wide.

"Hello-earth to MJ. Your wedding with that cute, hunky astronaut."

"John?"

"Duh. MJ, he's your husband, he's mad cute, and from what I've heard, he has charisma. I'm so happy for you."

"Um..." MJ shifted uncomfortably. She stood up and walked over to the window, "Actually, Liz-I didn't marry him."

"What?!?!? Are you fu-"

"LIZ!!!" warned MJ.

"All right. Geesh. Whatever. Look, I don't know what the hell was in your mind, but the guy's got everything: looks, a charming personality, fame, money."

"But he's not the guy that I really loved, Liz. When I looked at my reflection before the wedding, I knew that the guy that I wanted wasn't the guy who was waiting for me at the altar. John is a great guy-"

"Great, he's AMAZING!!!"

"Ok, fine, but I love someone else."

"Who's this 'someone else?' "

"It's-you know Peter-"

"Oh my god. You cannot be serious. Peter Parker?!?!?"

"Yeah-"

"What is wrong with you girl?!?!?!? That guy is a LOSER!!!"

At this MJ turned away from the window in anger. "Liz, Peter's sweet-"

"Not to mention a bookworm, ugly, and rude."

"Liz, you don't even know him that well-"

"Look, I know that if I was you, I would go for John Jameson. What makes you so attracted to Peter Parker?"

"He accepts me for who I really am. I don't have to pretend to be anyone else except me, and-"

"Whatever. You know who _I'd _like to marry? That costumed hunk, Spiderman. Oh my god. He's gotta be the cutest guy EVER!!!"

MJ chuckled slightly.

"What's so funny?" said Liz defensively.

"Nothing. Listen Liz, I know you've dated a lot of guys before, and-"MJ shook her, "No never mind."

"No, what's up? I'll help MJ."

"Well," said a hesitant MJ, "See, Peter's been gone a lot lately. It's not that he's cheating on me, but it's because of all the stuff he has to do, you know? Like he has to work, he has to go to school, he's trying to get an internship, pay for his rent, and his aunt has been at the hospital and all of this bad stuff is happening to him. And I know this sounds kind of selfish, but I feel-I feel so alone. I'm always worrying about him and waiting for him to come back home. Even though I love Peter with all my heart, I want to make something of myself. I don't want to be stuck here all the time waiting for him and worrying all the time. Do you get what I'm trying to say?"

"Yeah," replied the blonde as she filed her nails, "I totally get you. Look, MJ, if a guy can't make you the center of his life then you should just dump him. I'm sorry to say this but a girl who dates a guy like that has no self-esteem whatsoever, and she doesn't have any respect for herself. MJ, trust me, you're not being selfish. It's natural."

"But it's for a good cause. Peter tries to help others as much as-"

"No-no buts. No matter what a guy's doing, he has to make some room for his own girlfriend. MJ, why are you waiting for Peter to save you every time? Why are you letting him take control of your life? Make decisions for yourself. Just because Peter's doing stuff, it doesn't mean that they should get in the way of your dreams. Look, I gotta go, but if you wanna talk to me, just give me a call or e-mail me, 'K?"

" 'Kay."

"Bye!" MJ heard the phone click on the other end. She slowly closed her phone and looked out of the window with a dozen thoughts running through her head. 'Is Liz right? I know that Peter just wants to help-no, he believes it's his _duty_. Peter doesn't have to do what he's doing, but-Oh god, I don't know what to do.' She leaned her head back against the yellow wall of the kitchen, closed her eyes, and sighed.


	51. Heroes

Guillermo ran as quickly as he could. Oblivious to what was below or around him, he failed to notice that the floorboards below him were giving way. "Mar-! AAAGGH!" He flew through the wooden floor. Just before he hit the roaring flames below, he held onto the edge of the floor. 'Come on. Maria's counting on you.' With all the strength he could muster, he pulled himself up. He dragged himself across the floor and knelt down. Sweat poured all over him, and now, his coughs were longer and worse. 'Don't let her down.' He got up and cupped his hands around his mouth, "Maria!"

Her husband's shouts caught Maria's attention. "Guillermo! Guillermo! I'm here!"

"Maria!" Guillermo ran with caution toward the kitchen leaping over flames that singed his clothing. He finally reached the kitchen. He tried to see through the thick smoke that was accumulating in the kitchen. Once again, he cupped his hands and screamed out her name.

"I'm here-near the sink!" He walked toward her and tried to fan away the smoke. He quickly scanned the area and saw a thin strand of black hair. He ran towards it and saw his wife lying there under a thick wooden beam.

'Remain calm,' Maria thought as she tried to budge the beam. It wouldn't move a centimeter for her. "Maria!" She looked up to see her husband. "Guillermo!" He knelt beside her.

All the fear overwhelmed Maria, and she started crying. "I don't think I can make it. I can't budge this thing."

"Calm down, Maria." Guillermo said wiping the tears away from her face. He tried to be strong for her even though a sense of fear and hopelessness was building up in him. He stood up and wrapped his arms around the beam. 'All right,' he thought, 'One, two, three!' He slightly lifted the beam. "Move, Maria! I can't hold it for much longer." Maria quickly obliged. She got up and crawled away from the beam. When she reached the end, she knelt down. Both heard loud creaking noises and looked up to see the ceiling fall on top of them.

"Maria!" Guillermo quickly let go of the beam, and without thinking what would happen to him, he pushed her aside from the falling debris.

"No!" she screamed as she saw her husband being covered under a pile of burning wood.

Peter swung into the burning building. 'The officer said that there were two people who were on this floor.' He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hello is anyone here?" Suddenly, he heard a woman scream. 'Bingo,' he thought as he cautiously walked toward the sound of the scream. He saw a woman with black hair kneeling next to a pile of debris.

"Miss?" Maria turned around to the source of the voice. To her relief, she saw Spiderman. She walked towards him and pointed toward the pile. "You've got to help us. My husband's under all of that debris." She saw Spiderman quickly walk towards the pile of rubble, and she followed him. She noticed that he was also looking around the building.

'There's not much time,' he thought. He turned towards her. "Uh-miss-"

"Maria."

"OK, Maria. Look, the building's about to collapse in a minute. I'll get you out of here first. Then I'll see what I can do for your husband." Normally, people would just nod and leave, but to Peter's surprise, the woman shook her head.

"No, I'm not leaving my husband here. He came into sure death to save me. I'm not leaving him."

"Miss, you can trust-"

"Did I say I didn't? I do, but I'd rather die here than leave without him."

"Miss-"

"We're wasting time this way. Either you at least try to save him or we'll all die here."

Peter was about to argue, but he realized that she was right. He noticed that the woman's mind was already made up. He turned his attention to the huge mound of wooden boards. 'OK,' he thought. He took several dozen of the boards and flung them away. To Peter's surprise, the woman walked beside him, took several boards, and did the same.

"Miss, it's OK. I can-"

"I want to help."

Peter couldn't let her. She could see that she was in horrible condition. Soot was smeared all over her body. Her dress was singed around the edges and tattered. She was breathing heavily and slightly limped.

"No-"

"Look," she said angrily and staring at him, "Don't try to act like the hero here. This is my husband of five years, OK? I said that I want to help, and I will. You can't change my mind. Got it?"

Peter looked at the woman in slight shock.

"What are you waiting for?!? Keep working!" she screamed. Peter quickly returned to work. In 30 seconds, Peter threw away the last pile of debris. The woman quickly laid her head against the man's chest. With wide eyes, she turned towards him. "He's not breathing! He's not breathing!"

"Do you know how to do CPR?" asked Peter.

"No, do you?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?!?!"

"Hey, it's worth a shot." Peter quickly pulled his mask up until it revealed his nose and his mouth. He knelt beside the man. 'Come on, Pete.' Peter thought. 'You know this stuff. You've read about it in all those science books. It's not that hard, right?' He started to push and breathe into the man's mouth. After repeating the process four times, the man coughed.

"Oh thank god!" She leaped onto her husband, whose eyelids were purple around the edges. She held onto his neck tightly.

"Maria," he whispered-holding her just as tightly.

Peter pulled his mask over the lower half of his face and stared at the couple hugging each other. Normally, like MJ said, it was Spiderman who reminded everyone that there would always be ordinary people who performed small, yet extraordinary deeds everyday-true heroes who did the right thing. But now, as Peter stared down at these two people-who were not much older than him-they reminded _him _that that they were heroes-heroes who could only be rescued by each other. At that moment, Aunt May's question drifted back into his mind: 'Who is the woman that you never get tired of seeing and manages to dazzle you, shock you-every time?' At the time, he couldn't decide, but now, he knew who it was. The moans and creaks above reminded him of the situation at hand.

"Sorry to break the moment, but this building is gonna collapse if we don't leave soon."

"Right," said Maria as she let go of her husband. She helped her husband stand.

"Grab on," instructed Peter. Maria held onto Peter's neck while she placed her husband on Peter's back. After he made sure that they were holding onto him tightly, he held Maria firmly and released a web strand. "Hold tight!" Peter swung away as the whole floor began to collapse around them. Peter spotted an ambulance and landed near it. Maria quickly let go of Peter's neck and carefully took her husband off of Peter's back. An EMS worker saw her struggling and ran towards her with a stretcher.

After he saw Maria and her husband board the ambulance safely, he swung away-confident that he had made the right choice.


	52. One Last Time

Gwen Stacy had just stepped out of the shower, and now, she was drying her hair with the blow dryer. Last night had been rough. Her father still hadn't returned, and when she woke up several hours ago, she saw her father talking on the phone. He told her that someone had kidnapped this young female known as Felicia Harding. Apparently, she was the daughter of this really wealthy multi-millionaire. He had to leave again. It didn't matter, though. Nothing could break the wall that stood between them now, and Gwen was relieved that her father wasn't home very often. Suddenly, she heard a knock on the door.

"Coming!" she said as she slipped on her pink slippers. She quickly turned the blow dryer off and hurried to the door. She grabbed the doorknob and flung the door open. To her surprise, there was Peter-standing in the doorway.

"Peter," said Gwen as she stood there shocked. She tied the strands on her robe tighter. She noticed that as always, Peter looked tired, but she also noticed that on his face, there were small patches of soot. He was very sweaty, and his hair was unkempt and messy. His black T-shirt was hastily tucked into his blue jeans.

"Gwen," said Peter. He coughed slightly and cleared his throat. "We have to talk."

Gwen nodded. "Sure, Peter. Come in." Peter walked by her and sat on the closest armchair. She quietly closed the door.

"Hold on for a sec," said Gwen, "Let me get dressed." Gwen quickly left the room as she felt Peter stare at her. She walked toward her room and opened her closet. 'Nothing-absolutely nothing to wear.' Thought Gwen as she scanned through the whole stack of attire. 'Gwen, Peter isn't like that. He won't judge you by what you wear.' Nonetheless, it made her nervous. After two seconds, she pulled out a clean white T-shirt and her favorite pair of jeans. She quickly combed her hair, and after checking her reflection briefly, she walked out to see Peter mumbling to himself.

"Hey, Peter."

Peter looked up to see Gwen and smiled. "Wow, most girls I know would take hours picking out an outfit." Gwen smiled back. She walked toward the kitchen and opened the fridge. She took out a can of Coke.

"Would you like anything to drink, Peter?"

"Uh-a glass of water would be fine."

"You sure?" She turned around to see Peter nod. She took out a tall glass and poured water into it. She couldn't help but feel that with every move, Peter's eyes were following hers. She walked toward him and placed the glass in front of him. She took a sip of her Coke and saw Peter gulp down the water. She held the Coke in her hands as Peter placed the glass down gently on the clear coffee table between them.

"Wow. You must have been really thirsty."

"Yeah," replied Peter with a sheepish grin. After several long seconds of absolute silence, Gwen spoke up: "So, Peter, what are you here for?"

"Gwen," said Peter slowly. He looked up at her, "Last night, when we kissed, I felt torn between you and MJ. I couldn't decide who I loved more. A couple of minutes ago, I rescued this young couple from a fire as-"

"Spiderman?"

Peter nodded. 'That's why he's so sweaty and tired.' Thought Gwen.

"Well, the woman's husband was trapped under a huge pile of wood, and the place was about to fall down in a minute. I told her that she could wait outside, and I assured her that I would save him in time. Usually, they'd just nod their heads and leave, but she refused. At first, I thought that she didn't trust me, but she told me that wasn't it. The thing was it was her husband under there, and she didn't want to leave him-even though she knew I could save him. In fact, she even helped me take the pile of debris off him. When we finally got through, he wasn't breathing, so I attempted CPR. Fortunately, he was OK. He had cuts, bruises, scratches, and some burns, but he was alive. When he opened his eyes, his wife just literally threw herself on him." Peter shook his head, "You should have seen the look on her face. She was so glad and relieved. Her husband's face had that same look. But it wasn't just the look of relief on their faces." He looked at Gwen, "It was love, Gwen. Even though they've been married for five years, the look on their faces looked like they had just fallen in love all over again. Can you believe it? Five years, and they look like they've just been married. My aunt and my uncle had that same look on their faces too, you know. Everyday, they looked at each other like that-even though they had seen each other for 45 years. In a society like today's, where most marriages end up in divorce-where celebrities get a divorce after a day-there's still people out there like that couple that I saved and Aunt May and Uncle Ben. Gwen," He paused and looked at her with firm, but gentle eyes, "I know that the person I want to be with-that I've always wanted to be with-is MJ. There's no one else-not even you-who can change that. I'm sorry, Gwen."

At those words, Gwen's heart shattered, and her eyes welled with tears. 'Stay strong, Gwen.' She couldn't, though. The pain was too much for her to handle. Before she could stop them, the tears flowed quickly.

'I knew this would happen,' thought Peter. He couldn't bear to see anyone in so much pain because he knew what it was like. "Gwen, I'm so sor-"

To his surprise, the tears stopped, and Gwen looked up at Peter with a tight, forced smile. She shook her head, and the tears on her face shimmered and reflected the colors of the rainbow-giving Gwen a mystical aura. Peter was firm, though; his heart and his soul told him that he had made the right choice, and although he felt sorry for Gwen, he wouldn't change his decision.

"It's OK, Peter," whispered Gwen. She leaned over and grabbed Peter's hand. "I'm happy for you and MJ." She stood up slowly as Peter did the same.

"Gwen, you're a wonderful person, and I didn't-"

"Peter," said Gwen, "don't make anymore excuses. I'm sure you've made the right choice."

"Gwen, if there's anything-"

"No, Peter."

Peter slowly nodded-not knowing what to feel. Gwen looked up into his eyes and kissed him on his cheek She looked at his face and whispered, "Tell MJ that she's one lucky person." Peter nodded again. Gwen quickly turned around and walked away. Peter was about to leave when Gwen turned her head and looked at him. "I promise I won't tell anyone about your secret."

Peter looked at her, and with a confident smile, he whispered, "I know you won't." Gwen walked away as Peter stared at her and sighed. He opened the door and silently closed it for one last time.


	53. Esperanza

Mary Jane had cleaned the dishes, mopped the floor, washed the toilet, and made all the beds. Despite this, Peter still hadn't come home. 'Where could he be?' she thought as she sat on the couch in the living room. She looked up at the TV and smacked her forehead. 'Of course!' she thought as she reached for the remote. She surfed the channels until she finally reached one wit the title: "Breaking News!" She stopped and raised the volume as the reporter spoke: "Two hours ago, a couple-Maria and Guillermo Santiago-were trapped on the fifth floor of this apartment building."

The camera swerved to the dilapidated brick building and turned back to the male reporter. He began to talk about the couple's history and how they got here. MJ was so bored that she was about to turn it off when the s-word caught her attention.

"Everything seemed hopeless for the couple. Firefighters said the building was about to collapse, but then **Spiderman** appeared on the scene."

MJ continued to listen to the reporter as he blabbed on about how Spiderman saved the couple.

"They are currently in Bellevue Hospital. Maria is doing well, but her husband remains in critical, but stable condition. Despite this, however, the couple remains hopeful."

The camera turned to the couple. Mary Jane could tell that they had been through a terrible ordeal, but to her disbelief, they were still smiling.

The reporter continued to speak, but MJ was thinking. 'If it wasn't for Spiderman, that couple wouldn't be alive right now.' MJ had noticed the broad smiles on their faces, and although they looked terrible, they seemed happy. Despite all they've gone through, they were able to hold on and make the best of the situation at hand.

A voice interrupted her: "MJ, it's me!"

She turned around to see Peter walking towards her.

"Hey, Tiger. Where have you been?"

Peter sat next to her. "At Gwen's house."

"What-"

"MJ, I have to tell you something really important." MJ noticed the worry in Peter's eyes. She slowly nodded as Peter held her hands.

"MJ-I went to Gwen's house because I had to tell her the truth."

MJ looked at Peter and grew concerned. "I don't under-"

"MJ, last night, Gwen was running into a path of bullets, so I saved her. We landed on a roof top, and when we landed, she kissed me." MJ laughed as Peter stared at her with a confused look.

"It's OK, Peter. I know you don't love-"

She stopped when she noticed that Peter wasn't laughing with her. She felt his hands let go of hers, and she looked up to see him looking down at his feet.

"Right?" she whispered-hoping that she was right.

"MJ," said Peter as he folded his hands, "I let her kiss me, and-I hate to admit this-I kissed her back because I enjoyed it. Not only that, but for a moment, I felt like I was kissing you in that alleyway in the rain." MJ stared at Peter stunned-half in disbelief, and half in hurt.

"Peter, you don't-you can't be-"

He looked up at her. "No, I am absolutely serious about this MJ. I've never been more serious in my life." He paused as he saw MJ stare at him with a wrinkled forehead and hurt eyes. "MJ, I know it's wrong, and for a moment, I didn't know what to do. I was torn. I loved both of you. But, two hours ago, I saved this couple, and they were so in love, MJ. They refused to leave each other. I know that I would do the same for you, but they reminded me who I really loved. I talked to Gwen before because I wanted her to know that despite my earlier feelings for her, there was only one woman who I truly loved." He looked at MJ with a pleading look-a look that begged for forgiveness. "I love you, MJ, and there's nothing-and no one-in this world that can change that. I know this is kind of late, but I'm begging you to forgive me, MJ. I'm so sorry."

MJ looked at Peter, and she was about to bash him for not telling her sooner, for doing something like that to her, but she caught the glimpse in his eyes and realized that he meant every word. And all the doubts-even the conversation with Liz and the constant interruptions in their lives because of Spiderman-melted away. She realized that even though she was always dating and kissing other men in front of Peter, he had always stayed at the sidelines-hurt, but always waiting for her to come back to him. It was her turn to do the same. _"'And here I am standing in your doorway-I've always been standing in your doorway. Besides, isn't it time someone's rescued you for a change?' "_ She recalled saying that, and she had meant it then. It was time to prove it now. She smiled and placed her hand on Peter's cheek.

"Peter, it's OK," she looked up to see Peter's stunned face. She laughed slightly. "Peter, you've always been waiting for me. Despite all that's happened, you've always stood by my side. We've survived a mad man in a green Power Ranger costume, a brilliant scientist with metallic tentacles, our best friend turning against us, and living-for the most part-without the support of our parents. After all we've been through, do you think that something as small as a little crush can get in the way?" MJ smiled again at Peter's grin. 'Now's the time,' Peter thought.

Peter cleared his throat and stood up. He took out a small black felt box from his jean pocket and knelt down on one knee. 'Oh my god, he can't be-' thought MJ as Peter slowly opened the box and looked up at her.

"Well, Ms. Watson, now that that's out of the way and taken care of-will you marry me?"

Mary Jane stared at the beautiful emerald that gleamed back at her and slightly gasped. She stared at Peter with wide eyes.

"How did you afford this?"

Peter blushed slightly. "Uh...let's just say that I'll be a little behind for a while." Peter saw MJ's worried expression, but hurriedly replied, "Well, that's besides the point. The question is Ms. Watson, will you-?"

"Of course Peter! How can I say no?" She looked up at Peter's gorgeous, boyish face and gasped again as Peter took the ring out and placed it on her index finger. She hugged Peter tightly and whispered, "Oh, Tiger. I'm so lucky."

"And I am-" Before he could say anything more, though, MJ slowly pulled Peter up and laid him on his back on the couch, who eagerly obliged. She laid on top of him, leaned forward, and kissed him. As the moonlight flooded through the windows and bathed the two lovers, they kissed each other with great passion. As they kissed, both were unaware that the TV was still on, and the reporter on the TV continued to talk about Maria and Guillermo Santiago:

"Throughout this disaster, a miracle has occurred: Maria is pregnant, and amazingly, the fetus is still alive-despite all of the smoke that Maria has inhaled."

The camera again turned to the couple. Microphones were surrounding the couple, who were holding each other's hands. The husband began to speak: "I'm glad they're OK. My wife thinks-"

"_Knows_-"interrupted the young woman with a smile.

Her husband laughed. "All right-she _knows_ it's a girl."

"What are you going to name the baby-if it is a gi-"asked a reporter.

"I know it's a girl," interrupted Maria, "We're going to name her Esperanza."

"Esperanza?" questioned another reporter. Her husband nodded.

"It means hope in Spanish," he replied, "And that's what this child has given us: hope for the future. She's a living reminder to all of us that there are people out there who are willing to help others regardless of whether or not they get rewarded for it."

"And for that," said Maria with a smile, "we are grateful."


	54. Epilogue: Part One

"And for that," said Maria with a smile, "we are grateful."

Gwen Stacy turned the TV off. She sighed and leaned against the couch. That news program made her realize that she was blessed, and she never tried to appreciate the small gifts of life. Suddenly, she heard the door open slightly. She turned to see her father walking into the room with a somber, weary face. He looked up to see Gwen. 'Has she been crying?' He noticed the red, puffy eyes of his daughter.

"Dad," she stood up.

"Honey, what's-?"

"I've been thinking, and I'm so sorry for the way I've been acting lately. I just needed to sort some things out. It's been hard for me. I've been trying to figure out who I am and what I want to be, dad. I've pushed everyone and everything away-including you-even though I know that you were just trying to protect me. Can you forgive me?"

Captain Stacy was so stunned at his daughter's apology. After a few seconds, he hugged her.

"Of course, honey."

She let go of him and looked up at him. "By the way, Dad, if you still want to move, it's OK."

He looked at her with surprise. "But what about-?"

"That's in the past now. I'm ready to move on, Dad."

He smiled, and he realized at that moment that as his daughter grew older, he had drifted apart from her. He recognized that they weren't as tight as they used to be, and they never had a moment to themselves anymore. "Why don't we get some ice cream?"

Gwen looked up at him in shock. "But Dad, it's 11 PM."

"Who cares?" Gwen smiled.

"Let's go," said her father. With that, daughter and father grabbed their jackets and left the house to enjoy what seemed to be a forgotten past time.

John Jameson hopped on the rocky, gray surface. Darkness surrounded him and his two comrades, who were staring at the beautiful blue ball covered in white, swirling clouds in front of them.

"Guess we should get started on collecting that data, right?" asked John. It was odd. In Earth, he was so distracted. He felt lonely, but here-in this strange, barren desert-he felt at home, secure, safe, and confident.

"Yeah," replied one of his fellow astronauts.

"We'll split up and meet back here," said John as he drew a huge X with his boot into the ground. His comrades nodded and left-leaving John alone. John hopped around in his suit. 'Wow, this is-'

"Ow!" yelped John. He grabbed his boot. 'That must have been some hell of a rock,' thought John as he knelt down to examine it. Oddly, unlike the other gray rocks, this one was black and shiny; it reminded him of oil. He pulled out a pair of forceps and carefully placed the rock in a plastic bag. Little did he know that this rock would change several people's lives forever.


	55. Epilogue: Part Two

Author's Note: This chapter has one exception. Whenever something or an event for that matter is italicized, it means that it is occurring while Professor Xavier is speaking. You'll understand what I mean when you read! :)

**Two days later:**

Professor Xavier wheeled into the large UN room with Storm and Cyclops by his side. He finally stopped in front of the pulpit. Surrounding him were representatives from almost every country of the world.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen," said Professor Xavier into the microphone, "We are gathered here today to settle an important topic: the Mutant Registration Act. Mutants are-"

"The devil's children!" screamed a US Senator.

Professor Xavier turned to face the white haired senator with green rimmed glasses.

"Mutants are atrocities!" screamed the senator, "Mutants are inhuman creatures incapable of understanding what humanity is-ruthless murderers." There was a murmur among the members of the UN and a large nodding of heads.

"Mr. McLain," replied Professor Xavier calmly, "What is humanity to you?"

The Senator was caught off guard when Xavier asked him this question. "That's besides the point-"

"Actually, that's exactly the point. You claim that mutants are "inhuman creatures incapable of understanding what humanity is." In order to understand what mutants are, we have to understand what humanity is-Do we not? Humanity-does it rely on race, religion, sex, or one's genetic history? Does it mean one has to be human to understand it? I think not. Humanity-my fellow ladies and gentlemen-is the ability to learn when to move on."

_Gwen Stacy places the last box on the back of the truck. She turns to see her apartment and remembers the last time Peter visited her there. She sighs. She hears her father calling her name. She walks toward her father's car and opens the door. When she gets in, her father excitedly starts talking about physics as Gwen rolls her eyes and smiles._

"Humanity is learning not to hold grudges against others-even those who we believe have harmed us or our dear loved ones."

_Harry pours himself another glass of liquor and swallows it down in one gulp. "Peter," he whispers as the glass in his hand shatters under the pressure._

_In a prison cell, Dr. Otto Octavius tries to break his tentacles free from the mechanism designed specially for him, but fails. Angrily, he whispers, "Parker, you'll pay dearly one day."_

"Humanity is the ability to forgive those who have made careless, yet grave mistakes in the past."

_Aunt May-who was released from the hospital that morning-thumbs through the same album that she was looking at several days ago. She smiles at the thought of her nephew, who she has always considered a son, finally getting married to the woman of his dreams._

"Most importantly, humanity is the ability to do what is right-even if it requires the greatest sacrifice of all."

_Mary Jane and Peter are walking in front of a store that is selling expensive wedding garments. They stop, and with dreamy looks on their faces, they softly start kissing each other. Suddenly, three police cars whiz by them. Peter pulls away and looks at MJ, who smiles and nods. Peter runs off-leaving MJ alone._

"Humanity is what makes us who are. It is the essence of the soul. You claim that mutants are inhumane. However, and although you may not realize it, mutants are just like humans-human beings with emotions and souls, which once shattered can never be mended. We-like every one of you-want warm food to eat, cool refreshing water to drink, and a place where we can be accepted for who we are: human beings with an additional gift. Ladies and gentlemen, humanity also includes the prevention of war-where no one side truly wins-where people from both sides lose-where once happy children become orphans, where once happy families resort to cannibalism because they are starving, where whole villages-full of women, men, and children-are demolished. This Mutant Registration Act is the first step toward this gruesome act. I do not know what decision will be made here, but I urge you all to take into consideration the grave consequences of your actions. Remember that each of us are human beings with unique gifts-and when we work together, these abilities can be used to ensure a brighter future for all-mutant and human alike."

_As Xavier's words rang throughout the building, a red and blue figure swung by-a misunderstood person who had been known by many as the masked vigilante. Yet many others knew him as a hero who saved lives at the expense of his own. Others considered him an intimidating foe while others thought he was a valuable ally. However, only one woman with cherry red hair and emerald green eyes standing in the glittering city below knew who this hero truly was: an ordinary man named Peter Parker who was bestowed by fate with extraordinary powers-who like all human beings-needed someone to remind him that with great power comes great responsibility._

Author's Note: And-that's the end ladies and gentlemen! :) I hope you all liked it again because I sure loved writing. I actually was thinking about the second and first movies several days ago, and I guess I just started writing and writing and it just came to me. I felt this was a great way to end it because it provides insight to what's happening to everyone else who was involved in this story (with the exception of Dr. Connors and Felicia.) Please again, I'd love to hear any comments-negative or positive. One more thing: I've asked this a thousand times, but I just want to ask you guys if you think I should write a sequel to this sequel. Like a Spiderman 4 movie, u know? Before I leave, I'd like to give a special thanks to all of my reviewers and readers for taking the time to read this. Very much appreciated.


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